A Farewell to False Love Farewell, false love, the oracle of lies, A mortal foe and enemy to rest, An envious boy, from whom all cares arise, A bastard vile, a beast with rage possessed, A way of error, a temple full of treason, In all effects contrary unto reason. A poisoned serpent covered all…
Month: December 2011
Cartoon Magic
I have always enjoyed cartoons from the inception of drawing little figures on book pages and flipping them quickly, to the great works of art like Pinocchio from Disney and The Triplets of Belleville which hearkens right back to Fleischer, Popeye and Betty Boop. Part of the attraction is the zany world in which anything…
Heart Or Mind
I saw someone answering a question on a forum suggesting that it will only be when people use their hearts and not their minds that the world will unite. I was instantly sure that this was the wrong way round as the things which cause friction seem to me to be deeply emotional – feelings…
Jerusalem
I have just watched the first two in the new series on BBC4 about Jerusalem and am surprised that it is the same old tired history lesson, albeit this time being nice to everyone probably because the BBC doesn’t want to inspire any anger. I visited Jerusalem in 2008 during the Jewish New Year and…
Defeat Is Not Defeat
At this time of year, and to be honest most other times too, people love to send messages that enthuse and quote anonymous ad nauseam about how to pick yourself up and dust yourself off. Reminding me of the American penchant for ‘life coaches’ from Billy Graham, whom I saw once in Oxford in the…
What Makes Poetry?
People will go into reams of analysis about poetry and I will say now, more people know more about the analysis, syntax and grammar of poets than I ever will. They know a good deal about the history and the various verse forms from all around the world but none of these things are what…
Gold Rush
The Black Hills gold Rush started in 1874 and until 1876 was giving meagre dividend. In 1876 placer gold was found in present day Deadwood along the rivers. Placer gold are pieces of gold that have been washed down from a seam. That seam was found in April 1876 and from that seam 10% of…
Louis MacNiece
Bagpipe Music It’s no go the merrygoround, it’s no go the rickshaw, All we want is a limousine and a ticket for the peepshow. Their knickers are made of crepe-de-chine, their shoes are made of python, Their halls are lined with tiger rugs and their walls with head of bison. John MacDonald found a corpse,…
I Don’t Believe What You Believe
I was listening to Noam Chomsky (well someone has to) about how the major companies in the US and around the world who have a vested interest have tried to make out that climate change is a liberal hoax. Besides the fact that he states they have largely been successful the first thing I thought…
It’s What You’re Used To
My mother loved books and I grew up with books everywhere. Unlike my mother though I also grew up with television though when she thought I was watching too much of it she got rid of it. I remember reading the introduction to the Narnia series by C S Lewis and his saying his house…