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Ça ne fait rien.. Mon Ami.. ( Or San Fairy Ann.. as the locals round here say..) I knew exactly what you meant. I didn't get Cambridge Board O Level Grade 6 Pass in French (1965) for nothing you know. Those Asian Hornets sound pretty scary. Today, I went for a walk up the hill for the first time since early Feb. Due to the cold and rain.. it was almost like normal.. rather than the Blackpool Prom type crowds that have infested the area since lockdown. At the very top of the hill I spent a good 15 minutes taking in the panoramic views totally alone.. which was

And in other news... Thanks to the wonders of modern technology... we have all had the opportunity to watch a black US Citizen being murdered.. slowly, by a Police Officer with at least 5 previous complaints of Police Brutality against him. Geoge Floyd was already under arrest and handcuffed as Chauvin continued to keep a knee on his neck despite Floyd's and bystander's pleas. It seems Floyd was 'suspected' of trying to pass a forged note. He wasn't even proven to be doing so. Just.. 'suspected'. Think about that.. It's something any of us could unwittin

Evening Dave. Yep.. I've got some Tea Tree Oil and it does seem to work on some bites. TBH, 'Cleg'.. Scandinavian 'Klaggi' bites are far from the worst. Black Flies of the Simulidae group are seriously evil...

No. Because quite apart from you now taking to 'dissing' all politicians, while you give Anthropologists a break.. what you seem to be advocating is some sort of Dictatorship. How many of those have we had? Those who were convinced that they alone had the answer and were so convinced by their own intellectual superiority that they set about circumventing legitimate decision making 'for the good of all'. I hesitate to use the biggest name of all for fear of invoking Godwin's Law. Engineering, which is just applied science, is, like science, morally neutral and therefore completely devoid o

Hope it all works out OK Nonna. For what it's worth.. those flies seem to have taken a liking to me lately too. I've been accused of being full of hot air but never gas.. Ordinary house fly type things have also been descending on me outside. It's either a change in my shower gel, or something to do with the recent very dry weather.. Worse still.. the first Horse Fly (Clegg) attack of the year.. One was hoveringly silently and menacingly around me so I went indoors. The little sod followed me in.. then I lost sight of it. Next it was seen on Mrs Col's arm as she follow

Jim.. Sometimes when we get deep into these discussions.. I see the Engineer in you coming out. Everything is either right or wrong and everything has a 'yes' or a 'no' answer. Sadly, people, societies and politics aren't amenable to such obvious certainty and it's often much more about seeing trends, tendencies etc. The above is in no way a true reflection of either Anthropology, or Anthropologists. I did not say it was Anthropologists who interfered in New Guinea, or who tried to suppress culture in the Canadian North West. You just assumed so in your rush to 'diss'

I'm doing it now... I'm shocking myself...

Good grief!! That Roger's Amp might well be worth a small fortune now..

Really? Are you seriously dismissing all Anthropologists as 'Arrogant Bozos'? Are you not doing exactly what you accuse them of? Of course some, possibly many remote tribes want to 'join in', but just as many don't, or want to at least preserve their culture. I watched a programme years ago where Australians went into some remote part of New Guinea. They taught the natives how to cut down bits of jungle and plant crops. At first the natives co-operated.. but they soon drifted off. It took the Aussies a little while to realise why. The Aussies were teaching the natives to des

That was Communists. To Communists, 'Socialists' were wimps. However, as I've been careful to define, I'm a democratic socialist. I just want to see a bit more socialist influence on Govt policy. I'm sure it is achieveable without revolution. In a very real sense you don't. I'm not having a pop at you Phil and I'm sure you've worked hard. But so have millions of others who have not managed to secure the benefits that you have. Also, unless you are very much more wealthy than I guess.. you don't even register on the Tories' radar. They'll have your vote,

Really? It's clear that some of us have this 'sussed'.. but most just carry on as if there is no end to it. You are clearly looking at different tribes to me. I'm thinking more of those who live 'up the Amazon' and are pretty content with their lot in a jungle which gives them all they need. until we go charging in with our big boots on. I don't think you can compare the Chinese and Russian systems now. China has morphed into a state controlled capitalist economy and is currently engaged in extending its economic control , particularly in Third World are

Mrs Col has made a few masks, with an internal pocket or compartment for a filter... though we don't have any filters. I must look into what is suitable because I will eventually have to go into a shop or somewhere. She's had me bending over the last few mm of the ends of straightened paper clips which go in the top of the mask for bending to the shape of your nose. Of course such masks will do little to protect from some idiot coughing in yer face.. but beggars can't be choosers. Meanwhile.. daily deaths in the UK remain stubbornly around the 350 mark, where they have been for a

Never is a long time, and economic/social/environmental conditions will eventually overturn the current norms. For instance, history will show that Capitalism, just like previous economic systems.. is not inevitable, and only exists because it can. Capitalism simply cannot continue unabated.. It is already failing.. It is a supreme arrogance to assume that Capitalism is 'immortal'.. when previous economic systems have come and gone. I don't presume to know what will replace Capitalism. and I'm bloody sure it is not the travesty of socialism as enacted by Russia and China. but believe me.. it

When I worked 12 hour shifts in a Lead Refinery.. we bought a 'Big Ben Repeater' alarm clock. I had to position it at the other side of the bedroom so that I was vaguely awake by the time got to it.. and was able to resist the urge to launch it out of the bedroom window. Around that time, I also used to get telephone 'Alarm Calls'. Jeez those operators must have had the patience of Saints. And on the general theme of self discipline. I've just 'cracked' and opened a big bag of Doritos (Cool Original Flavour) I was saving them to accompany my next batch of Hummus . but that's not happe

Ahh yes. Grandkids are good at that.

It seems young Ben is on CBBC 16th June 09:25 a.m. I will set the V6 box to record. Most exciting thing since me and Mrs Col were barely visible at the back of the audience on an episode of Mastermind about 5 years ago.. You lost me there...

I have no desire to get back to work. After 50 years of it, some in horrible conditions, I consider myself 'well shot of it'. Oddly, I still frequently have dreams in which I'm wrestling with some work problem and turn to my bosses and say.. with a feeling of great relief.."That's it.. I'm off"... In the dream.. it's knowing that I'm 71 and therefore 'allowed' to retire which makes it pleasurable. Thing is I fought tooth and nail to stay in work until I was 65. Go figure.. as our Mericun cousins say. Today.. I planted up the Tomato plants which arrived all but dead, from Dobie

That's as valid an approach as any Kev. And of course it's allowed because there are no rules saying how any of us should arrive at our voting decisions. Not my approach though. There have been times, especially under Thatcher, when Govt. policy very much affected me and mine. These days it affects me less, but I spent half my life working with people who were either directly victims of, or ignored by successive Tory Govts. The only time things were halfway bearable were the years that Blair and Brown spent in office. (And yes.. I know it wasn't perfect.. and no Labour didn't cause the World

Well of course that's true. But anyone who understands politics, the role of the press/media (almost all Tory and/or Foreign/Absentee owned) the unfair and downright corrupt role of 'Lobbyists' and corrupt influence of big business in dertermining outcomes...doesn't have much difficulty in understanding that our 'Democracy' is very broken.

That's not what Ben said Brew.

That particular outburst was a direct response to Ben's observation on the Tories. As for my other views, ..If I may engage in bit of Whataboutery of my own.. I didn't see the press being criticised when they fired a constant stream of invective, lies and false allegations against Corbyn, Abbot et.al. Whatever you think of Corbyn's politics he did not deserve such treatment and I for one am pleased to see that some sections of the media aren't entirely sycophantic towards Johnson and his evil Svengali Cummings. What Cummings did was maybe not a hanging offence, but as you observ

It might have been possible to argue that up to 1979 Ben.. but since then they have just got steadily worse. More self- serving, more corrupt, more theft of National Assets, more attacks on the poor, the weak, the alienated and the disposessed. And yet, mostly because of a compliant press and a timid BBC, they keep managing to convince the electorate that a sound thrashing will do them good. It's all very wearing.

I repeat. The country is currently being misgoverned by the dregs of the Tory Party. These are the ones who were left after the party, already much further right than even in the days of Thatcher, was purged of anyone with any integrity, by Johnson and Cummings. Johnson, who actually has NO political principles and even fewer ideas and who was previously NOT a Eurosceptic, simply jumped on the Brexit Bandwagon and exploited all the loony Brexiteers simply to get himself into the role he's always wanted...being in charge. or 'King of the World'.. as he reportedly once said.. By

Just on Cummings for now. It's ironic that he dislikes Journalists, yet he has chosen to advise Johnson, whose main profession has long been that of journalist. I'd say his dislike is reserved mostly for journos who question his ideas and motivations. A very dangerous trait in combination with his very right wing views. He is IMHO rightly reviled by many. His opinions are very dubious indeed. He is widely accepted to have been responsible for the brief 'Herd Immunity' which effectively delayed the lockdown from what has turned out to be a very damaging period. He is also secre

I didn't spot that Mary. All I can add is that India and various 'colonies' continued to manufacture 78s after UK and US went all 45 ish..