Sunday, October 30, 2005

Name Dropping

The internet is mega-powerful. I am having a spat with one of my lifelong heroines, the delicious Polly Toynbee. She is juicily reasonable, and yet cannot see that Tony Blair is some way to the 'right' of David Cameron. Attitude 'set' I suspect. I am amazed that she can be arsed to reply to my rather truculent e-mails. On other fronts, the PC is now functioning again - a bonny argument for realism should one be needed - and I am not at the quiz tonight. If I should have been there give me a metaphorical slap - no, not an 'H' metaphorical throttling - 'H's metaphors are, allegedly, rather painfullistic.

Thursday, October 13, 2005

Boofy Confession

When we came back from holiday we took the small blue boofy to our vet, Mr Cooke, for her FLV booster. Mr Cooke, his wife and staff have been very supportive and none of what follows is any any way their fault, in fact without them our little boofy might not still be with us. Two days after the booster Topaz was obviously having significant breathing difficulties. She seemed to waste away before our eyes and had so little energy she could not climb the stairs to invade our bed. Needless to say Max and I were worried sick, especially Max. After several visits to Mr Cooke and various antibiotic and steroid jabs the little boofy is getting back to her sassy self, and is snoozing on my lap at this moment. Why am I typing this? Well this is not the first instance I have heard of quite serious signs of illness after a FLV booster, and although the small boofy has always been a bit wheezy I doubt that her sudden crisis was just, or perhaps at all, an asthma attack. Anyway, suffice it to say that we are mightily relieved to have her back to her Ptolemy pouncing hand scratching sassy walking self.

At Last - Good News

I seldom get a warm feeling when I read opinion pieces in the Times. Sometimes I find them intellectually satisfying, or challenging, or infuriating; but hardly ever pleasing. Well this
is an exception. It seems there is yet hope for our religion addled society. My apologies if any Murcan reader (Yes, I should be so lucky.) feels jealous. It seems that one of the best ways to encourage secularism is for the state to adopt a religion against which we can rebel!

Monday, October 10, 2005

Death with Dignity

I will do you the courtesy of assuming that you are up-to-date with current affaits. (Gross neologism?). Lord Joffe's bill to allow doctors to prescribe medicines enabling patients with terminal illnesses, in great pain, to end their lives will be debated in the Lords today. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, and Dr Jonathan Sachs, a prominent Jewish religious representative, have both felt it necessary to display emetic opinions to the effect that we humans should be grateful to die in agony because to do so spares our relatives the onus of making any decision, or even to concur with our decision, to mitigate pain and misery. The argument seems to go ... ' It is deeply unfair to suggest that we healthy relatives should take any responsibility for the continued suffering, or otherwise, of our relative, because we are too squeamish to grant our relative surcease from agony. We want our government to insist that only god - whoever or whatever that metaphysical entity happens to be - has the credentials to deliver us from dreadful and hopeless agony. Yes, look very hard at that last bit... one day this will be you.
Incidentally, Jonathan Sachs' suggestion that assisted suicide is bad because of the guilt it might leave with relatives is so risible that I want to cry. Ironic, isn't it?

Wednesday, October 05, 2005

Mythical Stuff

It is sometimes so tempting to write of one's day as a non-event. What have I done, seen, thought, communicated? Today I have helped to enlighten two, or maybe three, people. That would be good if it were not that I have thoroughly annoyed the person who means most to me. Is there some kind of mathematics to calculate if my trade off is morally worthy? Does anybody give a woodlouse's daydream?
I read in the Times that the Roman Catholic comic has warned it's readers to expect small sections of hyperbole in the bible. At the same time our beloved Shrub has nominated an evangelical christian to the Supreme Court. OB and PZ seem to have taken this in their democratic stride. I am rather worried that the US Democratic Catholics are stepping back from the fundy pitching line. Incidentally, I am looking for a good put-me-up; any offers?
Another rather introspective point. Nobody reads this outpouring. Why do I bother? Feel free to anticipate the demise of this deeply unfashionable blog. It is a doppelganger of David Davis.

Monday, October 03, 2005

Sacred Sex, or 'God I'm Coming'

I do not believe this. I have read a great deal of religious rubbish, but the absolute ignorance of human psychology, physiology and biochemistry displayed in this drivel is breathtaking by any standard. To expose any young man to such appalling ignorance is abuse. How can such dross be permitted to pollute the blogosphere?