Favourite Saying

"They're all queer except for thee and me; and thy's a a bit queer."

This is one of my favourite sayings of my grandfather who was from Lancashire.

"Everyone is strange but you and me; and you are a little strange."

[This was long before the appropriation of the word "queer" by the Gay Rights Movement.]

Signpost or weather vane?

Tony Benn asks of people: "are you signpost or a weather vane?".

I like to think of myself as a signpost to some degree.

But I am against dogma, which is the enemy of radical thinking.

Political philosophers

In the USA and England all the great political philosophers are comedians.

Homeless Celebrities

"Celebrities Go Homeless" on BBC1.

I would rather be homeless than be a celebrity.

Celebrities are parasitic vermin.

I agree with President Obama and Johann Hari

Those protesting for freedom in Iran are on the right side of history.

I agree with President Obama.

And Johann Hari is right that the protests in Peru against the destruction of the Amazon are even more urgent.

www.johannhari.com

"Die See ist unfreundlich und der Himmel schwarz, aber Gott ist dort."

"Die See ist unfreundlich und der Himmel schwarz, aber Gott ist dort."

"The sea is unfriendly and the sky is black, but God is there."

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Germany is not a person. Germany is a country.

There have been many truly great Germans in history.

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We are all humans, all fundamentally the same and we all have the capacity for good and bad.

I like Michael Wood's work

I like the English historian Michael Wood and his work.

I possess and have read several of his books.

"No hay libro por malo que sea, que no tenga algo bueno."

"No hay libro por malo que sea, que no tenga algo bueno."

"There is no book however bad it may be that does not have something good in it."

PLINY THE YOUNGER (in Latin originally of course);

later echoed by CERVANTES.

After working in a second-hand book shop for 15 years I think that there may be one or two exceptions to this great observation.

Philosophy Football

Football is finished really. So you've got to be philosophical.

http://www.philosophyfootball.com/

social nOtworking

Art is not a job or an industry!

I am TOTALLY anti-copyright.

I don't advocate breaking the law at all and I don't.

But

Art is not a job!

Art is not an industry!

If you create it you share it!

Simple as!

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The alternative is absurd. The system now is absurd.

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In medieval times, for example, musicians were just travelling minstrels, not quasi-godlike royalty.

Being a musicians or a performer in medieval times was almost like "just another job"....

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Art as an "industry" has its victims like other industries...

"Europe of the Regions"

My belief in anarchism, and my tendency towards anarchism rather than political nationalism, also concurs with the excellent idea of a "Europe of the Regions".......

Iran in the news

"Iran is such a strange country in very many ways."

(or words to that effect) John Simpson, EBC News at 6, June 12th '09.

I think the same about England.

It should also never be forgotten that it is a fact that England and the USA destroyed Iranian democracy in 1953.

Justice

Justice must always involve some degree of forgiveness and mercy, because it is not vengeance.

And because justice recognises in itself that people make mistakes.

Consumerism and Charity Shops

Consumerism.

There is a documentary about a charity shop.

The woman presenting it said that she found the shop disgusting and was not impressed by the quality of the donations.

The real disgrace is the amount of things that people consume .
The real disgrace is the amount of things that people buy that they do not need.

Almost everything anyone buys will end up in a charity shop if it is not thrown away.

There are so many many shops selling so much brand new stuff. So much of it is not needed.

So much is thrown away.........

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