If there's one thing that irritates me more than Freudian bullshit, it's Freudian bullshit being applied to my hero, Charles Darwin. You can imagine my reaction, therefore, to reading the following in the latest edition of The London Review of Books: 'Any form represented by few individuals,' Darwin wrote in The Origin of Species, 'will,… Continue reading The Origin of the Specious
Nonsense
Crap Joke
I just came up with a crap joke: Q: Why do so many Americans wear T-shirts? A: Because they have a constitutional right to bare arms. Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!
Derek Bell
Guardian obituary: Derek Bell Derek Bell, who has died aged 66 following minor surgery, was the harpist—and the only Ulsterman—with the Irish music group, the Chieftains. He was equally renowned as a classical performer. A poetic tribute: Derek Bell won't go to hell: He played the harp far too well.
oops!
BBC: Father's surprise: call-girl daughter An Israeli couple are preparing to divorce after the man summoned a prostitute to his hotel room only to discover she was his daughter. …I won't tell mum if you don't.
Sound
BBC: Liverpool named top musical city Liverpool has been named as Britain's top musical city in a new survey… The city controversially beat its North West rival Manchester - home to a plethora of influential bands - into second place. Controversially!?! No contest, surely (even though, it has to be said, we are forever in… Continue reading Sound
Non Compost Mentis
Thought you might like to see my new compost containers. They were several weeks in the making, but I'm rather suited with them. All they need now is creosoting and something to use for a lid. I have decided that I'm going to become a bit of a compost bore. Postscript: I didn't creosote them… Continue reading Non Compost Mentis
A blight for sore eyes
No, it's not a bucket full of maggots; it's my entire potato crop for 2002. That's 63 spuds in total, with the average size of a kidney bean. Why such a poor crop? Slugs, my friend, slugs. Of course, you realise, this means war. Postscript [04-Oct-02]: They were delicious, by the way. (The potatoes, that… Continue reading A blight for sore eyes
Water babies
BBC: Water birth drowning risk Babies born under water could be at risk of drowning and breathing difficulties, say researchers. And people get paid for this?
Sports buff
Her Majesty was in the region yesterday to open the Commonwealth Games: individuals from 72 geographical entities (most of them places you've never heard of), competing for recognition as the greatest athlete in the erstwhile British Empire (excluding certain nations who are too stuffy to join the commonwealth - yes, I have you in mind,… Continue reading Sports buff
Royal Salute
So, anyway, I'm walking through Liverpool at lunchtime today, when I suddenly come across hundreds of people holding flags, clearly waiting for something... Shit! I'd forgotten the queen was in town. So I head off down James Street to escape the sycophantic mob. Then I see it: the police car and the Bentley without number… Continue reading Royal Salute