[blogfocus saturday] early posting before falling asleep

As threatened, this is a cut down version of Blogfocus this evening, due to a bit of weariness and I’m really sorry, fellow bloggers but the e-mailing might have to be tomorrow now. Will you forgive me this second time?


1 The theme this evening is rather poor actually. It simply comprises posts which either made me chuckle when I read them or stopped me in my tracks or both. So pour yourself a whisky and let’s start with freedom loving David Farrer, on the non-history he’s just read:

I recently finished reading the Roy Jenkins biography of Gladstone and what an excellent book it was. But perhaps I've been conned. How do I know that this "Gladstone" character actually existed? For that matter, was there really a Palmerston, a Disraeli or even a Queen Victoria? And this "London" place - is it real? I think I've been there, but what does that prove?

The reason I'm asking these seemingly bizarre questions is that my current reading matter is the Killing of History by Australian academic Keith Windschuttle. The author is angry that history departments down under have been taken over by practitioners of "cultural relativism", "semiotics", "structuralism", "post-structuralism", "discourse theory", "postmodernism", "hermeneutics" and much more of the same.


2 I never realized the Englishman was such a naughty boy but the proof is in the post:

1. June 15: Took 24 boxes of condoms and randomly put them in people's trolleys when they weren't looking. 2. July 2: Set all the alarm clocks in Housewares to go off at 5-minute intervals. 3. July 7: Made a trail of tomato juice on the floor leading to feminine products aisle. 4. July 19: Walked up to an employee and told her in an official tone, "Code 3" in housewares..... and watched what happened. 5. August 14: Moved a 'CAUTION - WET FLOOR' sign to a carpeted area.

There are a whole lot more where they came from.

3 James Cleverly has been categorizing cyclists who overtake him on the road. Here is the first category but you’ll have to go there to read the others:

1. Those who I am fairly happy to be overtaken by, these include: # Anyone who has a bicycle that has carbon-fibre bits. # Anyone who has those clip on shoe/peddle things. # Anyone that has cycling legs # Anyone who can do that balancing thing at traffic lights ...

Eight more bloggers plus the Mystery Blogger here.