With Great Pleasure

This morning's 'With Great Pleasure' featured a reading from Roz Savage's book, 'Stop Drifting; Start Rowing'.
Roz concludes from her long trip across the Atlantic that there is no point to life, but she felt there was value in searching for meaning.  The panel all sagely agreed.  Joanna said that's like doing one of those maths questions that can't actually be resolved, but you can get marks for showing your working out.

I recall the account of Joe Simpson's remarkable survival in the story 'Touching the Void'.
Simpson says that after falling 46 meters into an ice crevasse, he called out to God to say if you are real, come to me, and help me.  Absolutely nothing happened.  Simpson then managed to crawl with broken legs into a deep dark crevasse that did lead out of the glacier and then a mile down to a camp where his life was saved.  Mountaineers report "Simpson's survival is regarded by mountaineers as amongst the most remarkable instances of survival against the odds"


How about the working out being important, and also the result?  Far more satisfying.

Andrew's Christmas Quiz

1) What proportion of the worlds countries have reliable falls of yearly snow?     A: 30%     B: 10%    C: 5%
Clue:  There are 195 counties in the world.


2) Where do you find 'County' in the City?
A: Derby   B: Coventry   C: Nottingham
Clue:  And 'The City Ground' is in the county!

3) When traveling from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean through the Panama Canal, are you traveling A: East-West, or B: West-East? 
Clue:  Think of a toilet.

4) The Shetland and Orkney Islands recently adopted new flags based on what?  A: Food   B: Folklore  C: Scandinavia
Clue: Not British.

5) Three national flags feature a prominent flower.  Which one of these countries does not?
A) Iran    B)  Rwanda   C) Hong Kong  D) Maccu

6) Pair these flags by similarly.
A) Montenegro B) Italy  C) Chad   D) Albania   E) Kosovo F) Cyprus   G) Romania   H) Mexico

7) What is the only land border that can clearly be seen from space?
A) Latvia - Estonia  B)  Malaysia- Indonesia  C) Israel- Gaza

8) Ruthenia is in which European Country?  A) Romania  B) Ukraine C) Serbia

9) Which English county hall is not even in the county it serves (and presumable pays rates to it's neighbour!)
A) East Sussex   B) Surrey    C) Berkshire

10) Name the two missing countries- Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Poland, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, North Korea.   A) South Korea  B) Iran  C) Norway D) China






answers 1)a, 2)c, 3)a,4)c, 5)b,6) a-d b-h c-g e-f, 7)c 8)b 9)b 10)c & d.

Interesting facts
1) There is reliable snow in Iran (Mt Damavand), Indonesia (Irian Jaya) and Greece (has ski resorts).
What about countries that have never seen snow?  44 countries- Bangladesh – Benin – Botswana – Burkina Faso – Cambodia – Cameroon – Central African Republic – Chad – Congo – Costa Rica – Cote d’Ivoire – Cuba – Equatorial Guinea – El Salvador – French Guiana – Gabon – Gambia – Ghana – Guinea – Guyana – Honduras – Jamaica – Laos – Liberia – Malaysia – Mali – Mauritania – Mozambique – Nicaragua – Niger – Nigeria – Panama – Paraguay – Philippines – Senegal – Sierra Leone – Somalia – Sudan – Suriname – Thailand – Togo – Uruguay – Zambia – Zimbabwe. (so 77% of countries have access to snow.)
2) Notts County FC is situated in the City of Nottingham, and Nottingham Forrest is in the county/ Rushcliffe (either side of the River Trent.)
3) The journey through the canal is twice the length  'as the crow flies'. (Think toilet 'u' bend.)
4) Shetland and the Orkneys look to their early history for inspiration.
5) Tulips are an important poetic motif in Iran. Rwanda has recently chosen a new flag and ditched the flag with a giant 'R'. Both Maccu and Hong Kong feature flowers, but are they national flags?
6) The Mexican flag is older than the Italian Flag.
7) The contrast between rich and poor is very marked. Haiti and Dominican Republic's border is visible in parts due to deforestation.
8) Ruthenia was once part of Czechoslovakia.
9) Surrey's County Hall is in Kingston on Thames.
10) The country is Russia.  It has a 120 mile border with Norway and a 2600 mile border with China.  The border with North Korea is 9 miles.

Ulysses - You What?

Deshil Holles Eamus.
Deshil Holles Eamus.
Deshil Holles Eamus.
Send us bright one, light one, Horhorn, quickening and wombfruit.
Send us bright one, light one, Horhorn, quickening and wombfruit.
Send us bright one, light one, Horhorn, quickening and wombfruit.
Hoopsa boyaboy hoopsa!
Hoopsa boyaboy hoopsa!
Hoopsa boyaboy hoopsa!

 This was it what all that company that sat there at commons in Manse of Mothers the most lusted after and if they met with this whore Bird-in-the-Hand (which was within all foul plagues, monsters and a wicked devil) they would strain the last but they would make at her and know her. For regarding Believe-on-Me they said it was nought else but notion and they could conceive no thought of it for, first, Two-in-the-Bush whither she ticed them was the very goodliest grot and in it were four Ulysses 726 of 1305 pillows on which were four tickets with these words printed on them, Pickaback and Topsyturvy and Shameface and Cheek by Jowl and, second, for that foul plague Allpox and the monsters they cared not for them for Preservative had given them a stout shield of oxengut and, third, that they might take no hurt neither from Offspring that was that wicked devil by virtue of this same shield which was named Killchild.

Old Testament? Prayer book? Edward Lear? Shipping Forecast? Paradise Lost?

Titbits from Ulysses

"The playwright [God] who wrote the folio of this world and wrote it badly (He gave us light first and the sun two days later) [criticism of the creation story], the lord of things as they are whom the most Roman of catholics call dio boia, hangman god, is doubtless all in all in all of us, ostler and butcher, and would be bawd and cuckold too but that in the economy of heaven, foretold by Hamlet, there are no more marriages, glorified man, an androgynous angel, being a wife unto himself."

"But he believes his theory. I believe, O Lord, help my unbelief. That is, help me to believe or help me to unbelieve? Who helps to believe? Egomen. Who to unbelieve? Other chap." [A pray for unbelief.]

They believe in rod, the scourger almighty, creator of hell upon earth, and in Jacky Tar, the son of a gun, who was conceived of unholy boast, born of the fighting navy, suffered under rump and dozen, was scarified, flayed and curried, yelled like bloody hell, the third day he arose again from the bed, steered into haven, sitteth on his beamend till further orders whence he shall come to drudge for a living and be paid.

Bag of corpsegas sopping in foul brine. A quiver of minnows, fat of a spongy titbit, flash through the slits of his buttoned trouserfly. God becomes man becomes fish becomes barnacle goose becomes featherbed mountain. Dead breaths I living breathe, tread dead dust, devour a urinous offal [kidney] from all dead. Hauled stark over the gunwale he breathes upward the stench of his green grave, his leprous nosehole snoring to the sun. 

Written in 1922, Joyce reflects on Japan's triumph over Russian and it's ramification for all small suppressed countries.

The Sixteenth Day of Advent

How do you know you are loved?  Do you know God loves you?

All the words that come next will be descriptions of faith...and doubt.

A Theology of Now

I dreamt this up on my walk into Church today stimulated by Will Self quoting Franz Kafka in this morning's A Point of View' on Radio 4.

"There is an infinite amount of hope in the universe -just not for us." (Quoted in Fanz Brod's book, Franz Kafka, eine Biographie (1937))

Other great quotes are If the book we are reading does not wake us, as with a fist hammering on our skulls, then why do we read it? 

The Theology of Now is if it isn't important now, it isn't important.  Now is the only moment that exist, everything else is probabilities.

Reality, sensation, beliefs, desires and impulses, are experience in the present, and therefore are real.

https://quoteinvestigator.com/2012/07/26/just-for-today/

Just for today I will -

1. Just for Today, I will try to live through this day only, and not tackle my whole life-problem at once. I can do some things for twelve hours that would appall me if I felt I had to keep them up for a lifetime.

2. Just for Today, I will be Happy. This assumes that what Abraham Lincoln said is true, that “most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” Happiness is from Within; it is not a matter of Externals.

3. Just for Today, I will Adjust myself to what Is, and not try to Adjust everything to my own desires. I will take my family, my business, and my luck as they come, and fit myself to them.

4. Just for Today, I will take care of my Body. I will exercise it, care for it, and nourish it, and not abuse it nor neglect it; so that it will be a perfect machine for my will.

5. Just for Today, I will try to strengthen my mind, I will study. I will learn something useful, I will not be a mental loafer all day. I will read something that requires effort, though and concentration.

6. Just for Today, I will exercise my Soul. In three ways, to wit:

(a) I will do somebody a good turn and not get found out. If anybody knows of it, it will not count.

(b) I will do at least two things I don’t want to do, as William James suggests just for exercise.

(c) I will not show any one that my feelings are hurt. They may be hurt, but Today I will not show it.

7. Just for To-day, I will be agreeable. I will look as well as I can, dress as becomingly as possible,  talk low,  act courteously, be liberal with flattery, criticize not one bit  nor find fault with anything, and not try to regulate nor improve anybody.

8. Just for Today, I will have a Programme. I will write down just what I expect to do every hour. I may not follow it exactly, but I’ll have it. It will save me from the two pests Hurry and Indecision.

9. Just for Today, I will have a quiet half hour, all by myself, and relax. During this half hour, some time, I will think of God, so as to get a little more perspective to my life.

10. Just for Today, I will be Unafraid. Especially I will not be afraid to be Happy, to enjoy what is Beautiful, to love and to believe that those I love love me.

(Copyright, 1921 by Frank Crane)

Fifteenth Day of Advent

In prison, John was deliberating with his friends, 'is Jushua the one we are waiting for?'
A friend went to Jesus and asked him straight, "Are you the one we are waiting for, or should we expect another?"
Jushua said,
"Look around, what do you see?  Remember the indicator?  Do they fit?

And my friend Judyanto informs me that his Israeli friend has been given accommodation and now has a safe place to sleep.  They are both coming round for a meal next week.

What I learnt about the Korean War.

I watched the BBC documentary on the Korean war.  Lots to think about here.

I have heard it said that D Day was not about the small matter of defeating the Nazis. It was also about conquering the world.  Churchill noted that Stalin's USSR was going to be the next big enemy.  He contemplated a war against USSR but Roosevelt checked him.  USA had control over the nuclear weapons, as they still do.  In 1945 progress to claim as much territory as possible before USSR did was hampered by simple exhaustion and war fatigue.  

The same was true in Japan.  USA took control of Japan. But what to do with Korea? The USSR had seen action in Korea.  Apparently two aides in the Pentagon suggested the 82 parallel. Stalin liked it.  It was settled on as the line of control between the Soviet and American sectors, similar to Austria and Germany. The problem came when the soviet puppet president did better than the America puppet.  The north became cocky.  Stalin gave the nod for a northern pusht.  He had misread the American's message about their security priorities.  He assumed that the American would not react.  The north invaded the south.  In a matter of days their army had reached the foot of the peninsula. President Truman used the UN to enable and American attack on the north.  His congress would not have sanctioned this.  The security council approved a military effort to re-balance Korea.  The Americans, British, Canadians, Australians, Thai, etc... (a coalition of 44 countries) dug in in the far south west, with thousands of refuges trying to squeeze into their sector.  The Americans panicked and were invoked in a terrible war crime, when hundreds of civilians were massacred.  

General McCartney's audacious assault resolved the northern attack and the north retreated back over the 82 line.  If  that had been it, as had been agreed by the UN, there would have been not much to discuss, but buoyed up by hubris and triumph, McCartney argued for an attack on the north.  This time Truman misjudged the Chinese.  There was a time when Truman and McCartney seriously considered using 24 nuclear bombs to create a dead zone between Korea and China, contaminated by radiation for 99 years (with the use of a cobalt). The allies had about 700,000 soldiers committed to the war.  North Korea, China and Russian had about 1.700,000. The allies withdrew to the 82 line, though the front went backwards and forwards. No armistice was possible because Stalin saw that the USA embroiled in a stalemate made good soviet foreign policy.  This could go on for ever.  Every Korean town and city had been decimated. Then Stalin died, and peace was possible.  There has been the potential for the war to start again in the 70's.  North Korea knows that it's only sure protection is to threaten USA with nuclear retaliation.  It will never give up this power.  All things come to an end, so this divided country will some day unite.    

I remember the wonderful Korean film called

Welcome to Dongmakgol

Church of England?

Interesting facts-  There are a number of Welsh churches in the Church of England.  I believe this is not true of the English/Scottish border.

Examples I discovered from my research on the Wye Valley  are :-

C of E parishes actually in Wales
Old Radnor and Kinnerton,
Presteigne and Discoed
Kington
Trelystan

For 186 years Calais was a part of England.  The enclave sent two MP's to parliament. However the Calais tourist board website says this was 'not really England'.  For one it was originally part of Flanders and the people spoke Dutch, and two, the church was always part of a french diocese.)

With the Treaty of Brétigny in 1360, Guînes, Marck and Calais jointly known as "Pale of Calais" was unofficially allotted to the English and only partly put into practice. In 1363 it became an important port and in 1372 became a constituency of the Parliament of England. But it did kept its bonding with France as it still was a part of the diocese of Thérouanne.

Tenth Day of Advent

My friend Judyanto asked me to meet someone he knows who has messed up.  He has been kicked out of his marital home due to his selfish behaviour, and because he was a student this year, is currently spending the night in the University library, which is open through the night. 

To make the situation more complex, this person is not British, so his immigration status is affected by the failure of his marriage.  Landlord/ladies are careful about immigration status because they can get heavily fined for giving accommodation to illegals. 

The guy is completely exhausted and on the edge.  He is keeping a job down, but only just.
So what do I do?  Well I pray.  We prayed together.  And I will see what might be able to be done in my amazing wider Christian community. 

What happened to the Palaces of Henry VII?

Sheen/ Richmond Palace-  A favourite of Henry VII and Elizabeth.  There was a major fire in 1497.  The palace was rebuilt and renamed Richmond.  Henry died there, as did his granddaughter Queen Elizabeth.  The Palace was sold off after the English Civil War and fell into disrepair.

The Gate House- All that was left.

Coldharbour Palace- on the river bank by Upper Thames Street, City of London.  Residence of Margaret Beaufort, and then given to Prince Arthur and his bride Kathrine of Aragon. The Palace is likely not to have survived the Great Fire of London in 1666

Baynards Palace- A castle restored by Henry VII.  Given to Kathrine of Aragon on the eve of Henry VIII wedding.  Again believed to have been lost in the Great Fire, and worse, build on by BT in 1970!

Collywesten Palace- Home of Margaret Beaufort in a Northamptonshire village on the Rutland border.  May have been the size of Hampton Court.  Gone by 1640 (Margaret died in 1509.) 

Placentia/ Greenwich Palace- Important Palace for the Tudors being Henry VIII and Elizabeth I's birth place.  Knocked down by Charles II in 1660 for a modern take on royalty.

There are so many other historic Royal Palaces around London-

Elton
Oakland (No longer exists)
Hampton Court
Windsor
Buckingham
Kew
Kensington
Clarence House
St James Palace
The Tower
Westminster Palace - (Now has a different use.)

I wonder what the 'Bed room Tax' would add up to.

Ninth Day of Advent

No inspiration today.

Perkin Warbeck

What a character!  He reminded me of the American, Frank Abagnale, who's story was made into a film called 'Catch Me If You Can'.

Perkin Warbeck (Alison Weir thinks this is from Peter), was thought to be from Flanders, and perhaps because people though he looked like Edward the IV, was coached to be the reborn Richard IV.  Ironically he was to end up in the same place as Richard Gloucester, the Tower of London, before being hanged at Tyburn.

This guy convinced the King of France that his blood was royal to the extent that the King arranged him a royal marriage to Lady Kathrine Gordon, daughter of the Earl of Huntly.  Apparently she was considered to be so beautiful that after Perkin's failed attempt to take the throne, Kathrine was saved by her body.  She became a lady in waiting to Queen Elizabeth.  The discriminatory effects of beauty have a long pedigree.  Perkin must have needed to live life on the edge because despite Henry VII ridiculously merciful settlement, he tried to escape twice. (Second time was thought to be a sting operation.)

The spot in the middle of a traffic Island where the dred
gallows were thought to have been erected.

Consecration of a restored site plaque.

The Tyburn Convert, created as a shrine to the Catholic Martyrs

Eighth Day of Advent

I knew immediately what it would entail.  All of it. 
And yes, I love them so much and want them to enjoy the moment.  I delight in their pleasure.
It is an irresistible "Yes".

I knew that over the many years ahead, my children would forget,
And then forget that it's me that has to feed them deal and clean up their mess. 

Everyday, as the sun rises in the morning, I sustain them. 
I never forget them, I can't.

And so -

I did choose to create the world, and I knew what I was doing. 
I can bear it- and it is a price worth paying.

Pros and Cons of keeping a rabbit

Seventh Day of Advent

Here I am, peering  out on the world over my eye sockets, like someone hiding in a letterbox. 

How aware am I of the position I find myself?  My self righteous attitudes.
I'm not perfect, but probably I'm better placed than others around me.

Today I am convicted that this is not true.  My position becomes insecure. 
I look for a rock on which to stand.

Sixth Day of Advent

Another walking thought.
As I walked back to my office from Beaumont Leys, following the circuitous route prescribed by the council to avoid roadworks near my office, I passed through Beaumont Leys Country Park.  The Western bypass, a mini motorway, passes nearby and the noise is deafening.   I noticed lots of birds in the trees and scurrying through bushes and was struck that despite the stress of modern life, these animals were doing well and seeming getting on well.   I thought that should take some inspiration from the birds.  I'll do well too despite the noise.

Thus with Greta Thonberg I say we need radical change to care for this world.  But like the birds, we can also live peacefully.

Route from my office to the NSPCC

Elizabeth- Daughter of Elizabeth of York

                                         1492- 1495

Inscription, now lost, recorded by Francis Bacon- 

"Hereafter Death has a royal offspring in this tomb viz. the young and noble Elizabeth daughter of that illustrious prince, Henry the Seventh, who swayed the sceptre of two kingdoms, Attrapos, the most severe messenger of Death, snatched her away but may she have eternal life in Heaven."

Elizabeth appears to have died suddenly, aged three, at Elton Palace.  Her parents were not with her.  How did she die?  Did she experience atrophy, or wasting disease?  Alison Weir says there was no record of anyone being concerned for her.  Her tomb was denuded of metalwork by 1700.

Young Elizabeth's Tomb in the Henry VII Chapel,
Westminster.

Elizabeth of York

Fifth day of Advent

No inspiration...yet.

Fourth Day of Advent

Walking into the light.

This morning I went for a walk from Kegworth to Sutton Bonnington across the fields before the start of my lectures.  The morning light was brilliant and I walked straight into the streaming sunshine.  Dazzled, I really could not see what was under my feet.  Nor could I see clearly where I was heading.  But I was drawn on.

 So I walked into the light, knowing that there is no other way.  Sometimes blinded, I was forced to  trust that the route was secure.  And today, the ground was frozen, and so I walked on water.

Third Day of Advent

Roger and I visited Hillfield Friary 30 years ago. I remember the great reply made by a friar when someone provocatively said "I love this place.  None of you ever talk about God." The friar retorted,  "Yes, and we don't talk about you in your presence either."

Second day of Advent

As we discussed the tragedy that is the state of the 'human sexuality debate' in the Christian Church I remarked to a friend, "It's the second Tower of Babel.  We are all speaking different languages."

The challenge is to learn each others languages and get on together.

First Day of Advent

I hear a voice calling me to change today,
A change as great as that of converting to a new religion;
Such as becoming a Jehovah's Witness, or a Muslim.

This is John the Baptist crying out in the wilderness.
Repent- turn around, go the other way.
Is it going to happen?  "Unlikely, what would the family say?"

Except for the light,
And the increasing sense of hope.
The expectation in the air.
What do I do?

Elizabeth I (but not in name.)

What I have learnt so far about Elizabeth of York, the rightful heir to the throne of England. (from Alison Weir's book of that name.)

Henry Tudor (or Theodore in English), claimed to be related to Cadwallader (or Cadwaladr), a 7th century Welsh king who prophesied the coming of a great king who would unite the kingdom.  Henry went into battle with a Welsh flag. Naturally he also claimed lineage with King Arthur.  Cadwallader is better known as the obnoxious vicar's wife in Middlemarch.

Richard III's son died at a young age. Richard became obsessed with his succession and blamed his wife Anne Neville, Richard planned a divorce with the view to marrying Elizabeth of York.  Sound familiar?

Elizabeth and her mother (and siblings) spent two spells in 'sanctuary' in Westminster Cathedral. Other residence were Elton Palace, Sheen Palace and Sheriff Hutton Castle where Elizabeth was kept under virtual house arrest during Richard III's reign.

Henry and Elizabeth's first son was called Arthur. There have been a number of royal Arthur's over the years.

Who is Wynkyn de Worde?  He is England's number two.  Like most number two's, largely unheard of.  He was Caxton's apprentice in London and took over from him at Caxton's death. Margaret Beaufort and Elizabeth York were patrons of the printing press.

Lady Margaret Beaufort- Born Bletsoe, Bedfordshire.  Married Edmond Tudor of Pembroke.  His brother was Jasper.  Henry VII was born there.  Edmond died at Carmarthern in the custody of Sir William Herbert.  Margaret remarried Sir Henry Stafford in Maxstoke Castle, near Nuneaton.  When he died, as an exceedingly wealthy heiress, so quickly moved on to Thomas Stafford, an interesting partnership given that he was a Lancastrian.  They had an amicable relationship, with Stanley finally moving in to support her son Henry at Bosworth, when the die had already been cast.  Ruth tells me that there is a Margaret Beaufort School In Bletsoe.  

Margaret Beaufort's key locations that interested me.

A Moment of War. (I bought the book)

Bullets were in our mouths if not in our rifles. Indeed, few of us had guns at all. We marched to make a noise, to keep warm, to know that we were still alive, our right arms raised high, punching the freezing air, our clenched fists closing on nothing.

Brooklyn Ben held political classes, which were often crowded, and which painted a world free from betrayal and butchery.  Speaking in his quiet, cracked voice, with its soft Jewish accent, he plumped up the dry demands of Comunist dialectic into a nourishing picnic of idealism and love.

We had yet to learn that sheer idealism never stopped a tank.

Laurie Lee

The Prince, by Niccolo Machiavelli

by Niccolo Machiavelli:  To the great Lorenzo Di Piero De Medici

Chapter 18
....whether it be better to be loved than feared or feared than loved? 

It may be answered that one should wish to be both, but, because it is difficult to unite them in one person it is much safer to be feared than loved, when only one is possible.  

Love is preserved by the link of gratefulness which, owing to the weak nature of men, is broken at every opportunity for their advantage; but fear preserves you by a fear of punishment which never fails.

Nevertheless a prince ought to encourage fear in such a way that, if he does not win love, he avoids hatred.

Returning to the question of being feared or loved, I come to the conclusion that, because men love according to their own will and fear according to the will of the prince, a wise prince should establish himself on that which is in his own control and not in the control of others. He must try however to avoid hatred.

CHAPTER 19 
THAT ONE SHOULD AVOID BEING HATED AND DESPISED

But Pertinax was created emperor against the wishes of the soldiers. They were accustomed to live beyond the rules under Commodus, and could not bear the honest life to which Pertinax wished to reduce them. Thus having given a cause for hatred, to which hatred there was added a lack of respect for him because he was old, he was destroyed at the very beginning of his administration. It should be noted here that hatred is acquired as much by good works as by bad ones. 

Is this an epitaph to Jeremy Corbyn?

CHAPTER 25 
WHAT ROLE FORTUNE PLAYS IN HUMAN AFFAIRS AND HOW TO RESIST HER

I compare fortune to one of those great rivers, which when in flood covers the plains, sweeping away trees and buildings, bearing away the soil from place to place. Everything flies before it, all yield to its violence, without being able in any way to resist it. But although its nature is like that, it does not follow therefore that people, when the weather becomes fine, should not make preparations, both with canals and defences, so that in the future the rising waters are directed away, and their force is not so unrestrained and dangerous. It is the same with fortune, who shows her power where courage has not made preparations to resist her. She turns her forces where she knows that walls have not been raised to constrain her.

The Chain of Events

The link goes like this.....
Monica, my colleague tells me her story about how her grandfather came to emigrated from Spain to Mexico fleeing the Franco regime.

I go on to listen to Orwell's book 'Homage to Catalonia' and Laurie Lee's 'A Moment of War'.
I read about the war on Wikipedia.  I see that Tolkien is listed as a writer on the nationalist side. Interesting.  It's because Tolkien is incensed by the burning of thousands of churches by the Anarchists.
I read that Tolkien's life was probably saved by German body lice.  In the First World War, during the battle of the Somme, Tolkien served as officer with the Lancastershire fusiliers    They occupied a German trench and slept in a dugouts, picking up the pest which no amount of ointment could eradicate.  Tolkien contracted trench fever and was sent home to his wife.  Everyone one of his battalion was wiped out.

Tolkien was born in South Africa.  His father was originally from Konigsberg in East Prussia.  Tolkien claimed that his name was a corruption of the German word tollkühn, meaning foolhardy, but others have said it is more likely to mean 'son of Tolk'. 

Apparently Royal Holloway is a British centre for the study of the Spanish Civil War.  They are also hot on King John, Runnymede, providing a number of short talks on youtube for me to watch.

...now a king, and now is clay

Thou art not holy to belie me so;
I am not mad: this hair I tear is mine;
My name is Constance; I was Geffrey's wife;
Young Arthur is my son, and he is lost:
I am not mad: I would to heaven I were!
For then, 'tis like I should forget myself:
O, if I could, what grief should I forget!
Preach some philosophy to make me mad,
And thou shalt be canonized, cardinal;
For being not mad but sensible of grief,
My reasonable part produces reason
How I may be deliver'd of these woes,
And teaches me to kill or hang myself:
If I were mad, I should forget my son,
Or madly think a babe of clouts were he:
I am not mad; too well, too well I feel
The different plague of each calamity.

This is "Catch 22"

Quote from RSC King John.
Constance- mother of Prince Arthur. 
PS - best value seat in the house (The Swan) Standing on top row far right - £5:00. Great view and the ability to walk around during the show!

All communication is 'Prayer'

Sarah, my niece, informed me, the vicarious student that I am, that her lecturer began a lecture with this quote.

I mused that I have often wondered the opposite.  What if the word 'prayer' were banned?  As with all 'religious' language.  How would we describe prayer?  Would it be liberating to redefine these concepts?

Now the shoe is on the other foot.

So let us be religious.

Prayer- spoken in faith: I will be understood.  But how can I be confident that I have been heard?  How do I know my intention is interpreted?  How to I know I am loved?  Will anything happen- for me, against me?

Communication involves the whole body; the mind; the spirit.

So communication is spiritual, and illustrates the fact that we live as spiritual beings, despite the best intents of Dawkins 2019 book "Outgrowing God".

Communication is influence.  It is a gift to be received.  It is the clamourings of a beggar.

Communication requests a response, an interaction, a co-creation, communion.

"Life makes no absolute statements.  It is all Call and Answer."  

Says D.H. Lawrence.  English Writer

Bit more of Mrs Dalloway

Oddly enough, she was one of the most thoroughgoing sceptics he had ever met, and possibly (this was a theory he used to make up to account for her, so transparent in some ways, so inscrutable in others), possibly she said to herself, As we are a doomed race, chained to a sinking ship (her favourite reading as a girl was Huxley and Tyndall, and they were fond of these nautical metaphors), as the whole thing is a bad joke, let us, at any rate, do our part; mitigate the sufferings of our fellow-prisoners (Huxley again); decorate the dungeon with flowers and air-cushions; be as decent as we possibly can. Those ruffians, the Gods, shan’t have it all their own way — her notion being that the Gods, who never lost a chance of hurting, thwarting and spoiling human lives were seriously put out if, all the same, you behaved like a lady. That phase came directly after Sylvia’s death — that horrible affair. To see your own sister killed by a falling tree (all Justin Parry’s fault — all his carelessness) before your very eyes, a girl too on the verge of life, the most gifted of them, Clarissa always said, was enough to turn one bitter. Later she wasn’t so positive perhaps; she thought there were no Gods; no one was to blame; and so she evolved this atheist’s religion of doing good for the sake of goodness.

A terrible confession it was (he put his hat on again), but now, at the age of fifty-three one scarcely needed people any more. Life itself, every moment of it, every drop of it, here, this instant, now, in the sun, in Regent’s Park, was enough. Too much indeed. A whole lifetime was too short to bring out, now that one had acquired the power, the full flavour; to extract every ounce of pleasure, every shade of meaning; which both were so much more solid than they used to be, so much less personal. It was impossible that he should ever suffer again as Clarissa had made him suffer.

The Dissertation I never wrote

"A Study in Whiteness" - how do white therapist view the world from within their own ethnicity?

Themes
Social ranking occurs in all societies.  It happens subconsciously.  Children aged three and above are aware of the rank they and their family occupy. Ranking is a dynamic process, sometimes overt (as in apartheid South Africa), often covert, as in the rank observed by 'beauty'.  Although assuredly denied, television has a beauty filter.

Burnham's Social GRACES identify the breadth of dimensions that can be considered.
Gender, race, religion, ability, age, culture, class, ethnicity, sexuality.

Most parameters are fixed.  Some change naturally such as age.

People in a higher rank tend to find it harder to 'see' the rank of those beneath them, and minimise their own power.  The rank above is conversely visible and often inflated by those below.

I am interested to hear about how white therapists understand their own power and rank, not only working with families of different ethnicity, but also with the same ethnicity.  This is the theory of the lens; a filter, that affects the way the world is seen and impinges on assumptions, beliefs, and communication. Also on the sense of security in the relationship.

'Positive Discrimination'
Power cycles are seen to perpetuate the status quo.  If I subconsciously think that a male doctor is superior to a female doctor, this is felt as an anxiety. 'Will the male doctor be more knowledgeable than the female doctor?' If the female doctor does something wrong, this confirms my fear.  If a male doctor does something wrong, it was my bad luck to see this individual.  My beliefs in the establish rank persist.  If all the doctors in my practice are female, I am not able to make this comparison. The same interaction occurs with politicians, and clergy.  If the black vicar gives a bad sermon, that is because they have been put in a job they are not up to, but I forget how many appalling sermons I have heard given by white men.

If people are selected for jobs on the basis of their race, rather than their ability, this is racist just as much as if they are ignored because of their race.  Again, it is the system that is at fault here, not the individual.  The balance of power, and therefore responsibility, lies with the system, not the applicant.

However, for the status quo to change, we must change some of the variables, hence creating 'women only' short lists.  But how much do we want to change in the first place, or do we actually prefer the status quo?

What will the future hold?

In about 1985 I went to a Christian gathering in Wembley Arena.  It was on of the first big 'praise party' events of that era.  One of the speakers was George Verva, who set up OM.  However I do not think it was him, but one of the speakers related the story of Mother Barbara, a Russian Orthodox nun, born in 1889,  who (as the story goes) told Bishop Aristocoli of Athens about the many prophecies she had received in pray.  Apparently Bishop Aristocoli related these prophecies on his death bed in 1951.  There are many discussions about the validity of the story.  

See Prophecy Today or Mother of God

What I remember was being astonished by the idea that the UK could divide four with Scotland, Ireland and Wales becoming separate countries.  In 1986 this seemed incredible.

My predictions are not so spiritual or controversial.

• Britain will 'crash' out of the EU.
• Scotland will vote for independence.
• England's economy will dip.
• Wales will choose independence
• Ireland will be united, with Northern Ireland as an autonomous province.
• The British Royal Family will fade, with it status only really holding in England.  In Scotland the royals will relate to the country as they do in Canada and Australia.

And perhaps austerity will bring about a greener and kinder politics.  Who knows.

Too Simple

Recently there has been a drive to uncover 'male-centric' design around the world.

'Too simplistic' is my verdict.

On 6th November 2019 the BBC website published an article called "What would a city designed by women look like?"  This article made the following observations.

1) Toilets-  It is well known that men need less toilets.  My observation is that public toilets (especially in other European countries) are hard to find.  Normally you have to pay for the privilege.  This is particularly challenging for disabled people.  People with the power limit access to free toilets to save money.  The general public elect their politicians.  They get what they elect.  I fully support more toilets- but women are in a majority when it comes to the electorate.  Vote for toilets!

2) Play areas- Dito above.  As fathers' roles change, they too should be voting for play areas.  This is what children would vote for...rather than lower taxes.

3) Car free areas in cities.  Again, is this to do with gender?  There is an enormous capitalist lobby (mainly men here I guess) who want us to continue to burn petrol, and drive cars.  It's a major part of our western economy.  We have to vote against it.  When the cities of Europe where built, women did not have the vote.  The power structure in our society go back to male only models.  This is where the changes need to occur.  They are deeply institutional.  They also ignore the young, the old, the disabled and gay/lesbian people.

On 5th June the BBC website published an article on the book called Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men written by Caroline Criado Perez. 

A great question- But surely there are more hard hitting examples?

They highlighted 8 designs which were felt to be 'male-centric'.  These were
1) CPR Manikin dolls.  These are usually 'male shaped torsos. - My view is that you will never see a torso like a CPR manikin.  If you do - you won't need to do CPR.  I am guessing that the lack of breasts to to reduce titters.  Many men actually have 'man' breasts.
2) Spacesuits.  This is an obscure error which affects very few women in the world.  I think other examples could be more hard hitting.
3) Military Equipment.  Again, surely- it is obvious why military equipment is male-centric.  It's mainly men who are into killing. Most equipment will be mass produced to a minimum budget (a bit like hospital or prison food.)
4) Car-Crash dummies.  This is a fair criticism I feel.  But dummies do include children.  Also Asian men are statistically shorted than European men.  They are also much slimmer, so perhaps the problem is the tests are done on a model of the engineer themselves.  This is a bit like Anthony Gormley, who argues that as an artist he is limited to looking at the world from within his own body.
5) Smartphones.  These change with the fashions.  Sometimes they are big, sometimes small.  I thought you could buy the size that suits you?  I find it hard to believe that these phones are male-eccentric.  It rather stretches a point.
6) Sports Attire.  The article highlights an upset young girl who cannot buy basket ball clothes in her size.  The famous player she writes to discovers that her size exists, but within the boys range.  This is simply a labeling problem that was rectified.  Is it sexism?  Would we say the same if boys have to buy ballet clothes designed for women?  What about horse riding kit?  On second thoughts this is unlikely to happen because boys are unlikely to accept female clothing, where girls are often prepared to purchase male clothing.  This is probably an example of the supremacy of Power.  Items associated with power tend to appropriated by the less powerful.  Hence we all wear blue jeans.
7) Science gear. This is simply to do with sexism and demographics.  The more women come into science, the less they will be a minority.  Minorities nearly always have to fit in with the majority.  The irony here is that there are more women in the world than men.  We are waiting however for more female scientists, and politicians for than matter.
8) Office space.  This is an interesting one. The argument here is that the average office temperature is set for the temperature comfortable for men. Perhaps this applies to large call centres.  But not where I work.  In my office there is the battle of the temperature gauge.  The males stand aloof, but maybe this says more about me.  (As I say, I am not an environmentalist-  I am not aware of  'temperature' particularly (I am aware of the gas bill).

I have lived in a majority female world for a lot of my life and note the how things look from the other side.  It's a pleasant world and I do not feel hard done by.

1) ID badge makers in school reception areas.  These days when you visit a school a machine makes you an ID badge.  It usually takes a picture of my upper torso.
2) Gorgeous men.  Interestingly I think it is culturally acceptable in women majority offices to have big pictures of gorgeous men, like Daniel Craig in the office.  In my office we have a life size cardboard cut out.  I do not think it would be acceptable to have a similar woman cut out.  Staff talk about how the new manager looks gorgeous, and makes their heart flutter.  Not acceptable to talk the other way round.
3) Children Centres.  I helped to run a fathers group in Hinckley.  Our first job when we got to the building was to take down the pictures of women's breasts.....(breast feeding).  Such images just make fathers feel inadequate.
4) Child mental health training.  Where are the men?  Nearly everyone who attend the child mental health training I offer are female (and I am sure it's not to do with me- or Daniel Craig who always accompanies me.)  The mental health promotion of our children is in the hands of women.
5) Sport radio.  I am a minority in my family.  It was only when traveling with a friend and his family to a wedding that I realised that I have not been able to listen freely to sports radio for many years!  Oh cruel world!
6) Little Cars.  As a friend of the small car, I find they are not designed for people as tall as me.  I can not see the speedometer because my line of sight is too high.  I have to duck down to look below the top of the searing wheel......".Me Lord."

So what would a city look like designed by women?  By definition I can not say, but I can conjecture.

1) City's begin with people.  People begin as little babies.  For me the quality of life of little children is a gauge of how well the rest of us are living.  I would expect child care to be central, with facilities to support young families (for dads and mums alike.)  I would expect play areas that are well maintained.  Grandparents would be designed into this pattern too.
2) Educational centres that include parents/carers, especially mothers.  While children are predominantly cared for by mothers, the time that children are in education offers mother an opportunity to invest in themselves.
3)  Road safety.  Car ownership is male-centric 76% of males own a car compared with 69% of females.  The population splits (like the brexit vote) into 49% male to 51% female.  Statistically more women are exposed to risk on the pavement than men, with more deaths and serious injuries to pedestrians than to cyclists or motorcyclists.  designing safer streets will address this balance.
4)  Parks and green spaces.  Places for people to relax and recuperate are likely to positively affect women, who spend more time with little children, and older people, who again are biased towards women.  Women are known to be politically more left wing in their views.  They are more prepared to have the state spend their money on the quality of life in cities, but they have less money than men in the first place. 
5) Social Housing.  Young people are likely to need social housing.  Also the elderly and retired.  These are areas when if society does not priorities housing, the poorer groups will be forced out and have to move.  The rich can choose to move.  But that is their privilege.

A World of Music

There is a world of musical entertainment out there...joining the young people in Britain, I surf  and find the best of the internet offerings.

The Bottle Boys- From Denmark

My favourite
Taylor Swift
Disney
Michael Jackson


For the record-

What about the amazing Petr Spatina, who chooses to play in the streets of Prague.

Petr Spatina

Border Politics

Borders- If I was a geography lecturer, this would be my subject.
Currently I work on a border, and recognise all the peculiarities of this territory.
Borders are often 'disputed', Historic', 'Neglected', full of barbed wire and minefields.  They are often difficult to cross, and sometimes they shift, with shifting political climates.

Names-  Sometimes at a border you cross from one country, into the same country!?  Examples- travel from Macedonia into Macedonia.  Or Luxembourg into Luxembourg.

Other examples are well known- Korea into Korea, Cyprus into Cyprus and Sudan into Sudan. What about Moldova?  Romanian Moldova includes the cities that were once the historic Capitals of the nation, and Moldova, recently created from the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

The pink area is Romanian Moldova-
The independent country of Moldova is the the east.

 What about Ireland into Ireland?  Is it one country?  Was is one country in the context of the UK, or the Island of Ireland?  Before the Protestant migration was it one country, or was is that just the geography of 'land'.  Should Sri Lanka be partitioned?  Not one country?  Borders, Islands, languages and ethnicities.  All very complex, hence perfect for a degree.

Borders sometimes don't shift.  The famous Serbian- Croatian border follows the course of a river bed that has long since moved on, leaving chaos behind it.

Other borders that don't make sense are India- Bangladesh, unless you live there.  Also Netherlands- Belgium, though since the EU came along, this has been of little consequence.

The Northern Irish border is a prime example of the stupidity of borders.  I think of them in a similar way to 'security' as a whole- it largely inconveniences the innocent and rarely the guilty.

The only border that I think is visible from the air (satellite) is the Gaza border.  The Israeli mechanised farms sit next to the patchwork of Palestinian farms.  Even the intensity of green is visibly different.

Borders don't make sense.  Apparently up until the first world war anyone could come into the UK without border checks.  The USA- Mexican border has proved how stupid borders are.  A wall will not only prevent humans interchanging, but also large species of wildlife; wolves, bears, cougars.

There are great examples of 'good' borders.  One is on the border between France and Spain.  Pheasant Island in the Bidasoa River changes sovereignty every six months, back and forth.  Lets have a bit more of this.

We visited Drielandenpunt (the German name) on the Vaals Hill, Germany, Netherlands and Belgium.  This is a celebration of the stupidity or borders.  You can cycle round and round the 'three countries' marker.  There is a funfair nearby.  This is where marks, francs and gilders were all cast aside.  It also marks the highest point in The Netherlands, so many a Dutch cyclists has ascended Vaals Hill.

The old borders are still visible with barriers and police stations, but like the IRA arms dumps, they are slowly rotting away.

It is interesting to note that if there were free movement of all people across the whole world, it is highly likely that all the problems of the world would be resolved very quickly.

The Italian, Austrian, Slovenia border is interesting.  We currently have

North Tyrol and South Tyrol (divided by Austria and Italy)

Austrian Tyrol in Red.  Italian in Orange.

Austrian Carinthia and Lower Carinthia (divided by Austria and Slovenia)
and
Austrian Styria and Slovenian Styria (divided by Austria and Slovenia).  These where once united as the Dutchy of Styria which dates back to 1180

Austrian Styria in Red, and Slovenian in Orange

The real Mr Dalloway

“And our dear Miss Kilman?” he asked. Clarissa thought the roses absolutely lovely; first bunched together; now of their own accord starting apart.

“Kilman arrives just as we’ve done lunch,” she said. “Elizabeth turns pink. They shut themselves up. I suppose they’re praying.”

Lord! He didn’t like it; but these things pass over if you let them.

“In a mackintosh with an umbrella,” said Clarissa.

He had not said “I love you”; but he held her hand. Happiness is this, is this, he thought.

“But why should I ask all the dull women in London to my parties?” said Clarissa. And if Mrs. Marsham gave a party, did SHE invite her guests?

“Poor Ellie Henderson,” said Richard — it was a very odd thing how much Clarissa minded about her parties, he thought.

Miss Kilman - The family name was Kielman- German-  The family changed their name during the Great War.  Richard comes into the house with a bunch of roses.  He wants to say 'I love you'.  But he can't, and makes excuses in his mind that roses don't need this pretense of emotion.  He says 'our dear Miss Kilman', completely out of sympathy with Clarissa, who despises her.  Clarissa is incensed that Mrs Marsham has asked her if Miss Henderson can come to the party later than evening.  Richard says 'Poor Ellie Henderson', presenting Clarissa with even more confusion. 

Mr Dalloway and his wife

And Richard Dalloway opened the front door.  Hands gripped the familiar doorway; and straight-stiff backed, he pulled; standing right to the edge of the sill.  Light fell forward, stroking arms of light; tentacles stretching out, falling playfully over his chest.  Mesmerised, Richard urged his body forward.  Great waves of mental energy, pressing upwards.  But it was as if a strong pair of scissors had begun operating; cutting down from head to his toe.  Will and body were dividing.

"I must go out, I must go out", he murmured hoarsely.  Words like fuel strengthening the tangle, suckling and drawing it in.  Beneath his skin there was a sudden rise in temperature; and the familiar swirling sense of disconnecting.

"I will be stuck here, like a lemon" he thought. "Someone will see me. I will be seen."
"The eyes, then the nose."

The light was now thickening; lemon yellow.  Richard attempted a backward motion, back into the house.  "Must keep moving, keep up the circulating." Hands and arms rotating.

But the light had him tight.  It was beneath his clothes and had entwined itself around his right leg.  Thoughts of screaming, came crashing to his head; of harsh and discordant screams, as that of finger nails....and he couldn't even raise his hands to his ears.  Hands that, in any account, would by necessity, need to be inside.  But this inside was not pleasant at the moment.  And it was to be seen.

Clarissa appeared.  Clarissa with her tight forehead, and upright eyes. He knew she would be the one.  She looked at him knowingly, seeing inside, seeing the hands straining to cover the ears, the lemon custard, the sharp increase in heat.  And Clarissa, with her tight forehead, coming forward and taking Richard by the hand.  With her hand she took Richard; and he descended the steps.  Down, he descended, and she stayed right were she was; he was shrinking.  She was remaining right where  she was.

Once again to the Paradise Lost dear friends

01  “Raphael” the name, distant memories turbate,

02 Into night disappears, left  pondering our fate.

03  Straining to see him, it dawns of his part,

04  No accidental visitor, we remain in His heart.

05  I return to damp fug, of interior darkness,

06  Eve’s horse cough symbolises sadness and stress.

07  At least we’re together chained perhaps but as one.

08  Many years have passed since that error was done.

09  Where together we shared in openness and truth.

10  Rich lives, vivid experiences, vibrant and new.

11  We jumped from a cliff top into a deep pool below,

12  Holding tight to the other knowing intimate glow.

13  As looking to the sky with wonder and praise,

14  Sharing triune intimacy, for the rest of our days.

15  I am Adam, you are Eve, we know no other,

16  Comparison irrelevant, you're my sole lover.

17  But why were we made with this deep fatal flaw?

18  Set an impossible challenge with an impossible law.

19  With failure comes suffering, two dear sons both gone,

20  Paradise unrighting, all goodness goes wrong.

21  And now I am frail, and frailer for knowing,

22  The scale of our loss, I hear Satan’s crowing.

23  Surely God sees we lack necessary steel,

24  And to devious challenge, our weakness would yield.

25  But Raphael not accepting, indeed rebuts this trial,

26  Asks whether I could harm and abuse my own child?

27  “The damage that’s done is not lack of skill,

28  It’s the damage to friendship by the absence of will.

29  Inconsiderate action destroys bonds of trust,

30  But weakness is accepted, your creator is just.

31  Though suffering and sorrow, now your daily blight,

32  Victory is coming, and wrong will be right.

33  Choose now to live as you did once in Eden,

34  God’s love has not changed, still offering freedom.”

History of events just before I was born

I watched the BBC documentary on the Korean war called Korea- The Never-ending War.
Lots to think about here.

I have heard it said that D-Day was not about the small matter of defeating the Nazis. It was also a race to conquer the world.  Churchill noted that Stalin's USSR was going to be the next big enemy.  He contemplated a war against USSR but Roosevelt checked him.  USA had sole control over the nuclear weapons, as they still do when it comes to the UK.  In 1945 progress to claim as much territory as possible before USSR did was hampered by simple exhaustion and war fatigue.  

The same was true in Japan.  USA took control of Japan; a sizable job.  But what to do with Korea? The USSR had seen action in Korea.  Apparently two aides in the Pentagon suggested the use of the 82 parallel. Stalin liked it.  It was settled on as the line of control between the Soviet and American sectors of influence; a similar pattern used in Austria and Germany. The problem came when the Soviet puppet president did better than the America puppet.  The North became cocky.  Stalin gave the nod for a northern pusht.  He had misread the American's message about their security priorities. Stalin assumed that the American would not react.  The North invaded the South.  In a matter of days their army had reached the foot of the peninsula. President Truman used the UN to enable and American retaliation on the North.  His own congress would not have sanctioned this.  The security council approved a military offensive to re balance Korea.  The Americans, British, Canadians, Australians, Thai, etc... (a coalition of 44 countries) dug in in the far south west, with thousands of refugees trying to squeeze over into their sector.  The Americans panicked and were invoked in a terrible war crime, when hundreds of civilians were massacred.  

General MacArthur's audacious assault resolved the northern attack and the North retreated back over the 82 parallel.  If  that had been it, as had been agreed by the UN, there would have been not much more to discuss, but buoyed up by hubris and triumph, MacArthur argued for a rapid attack on the North.  This time Truman misjudged the Chinese.  The Chinese army crossed the border in large numbers. There was a time when Truman and MacArthur seriously considered using 24 nuclear bombs to create a dead zone between Korea and China, contaminated by radiation for 99 years (with the use of a cobalt). The allies had about 700,000 soldiers committed to the war.  North Korea, China and Russian had about 1.700,000. The allies withdrew to the 82 parallel, though the front continued to veer backwards and forwards. No armistice was possible because Stalin saw that the USA embroiled in a stalemate made good Soviet foreign policy.  This could go on for ever.  Every Korean town and city had been decimated. Then Stalin died, and peace was possible.  There has been the potential for the war to start again in the 70's.  North Korea knows that it's only sure protection is to threaten USA with nuclear arms.  It will never give up this power.

All things come to an end, so this divided country will some day unite.    

I remember watching the wonderful Korean film called

Welcome to Dongmakgol with our film club