[meme] 7 priorities which spring to mind

As you’d know if you’ve already read Blogfocus, Jeremy Jacobs has tagged various people, including me unfortunately [and I thought I’d escaped all the memes currently doing the rounds].

This one is as follows:

We're a week into 2007. Do you know what you want to achieve by the end of January? Have you set goals to reach by the end of the first quarter? How is it for you on the morning of January 6th?

The answer to that is ‘distinctly awful’, with a tender tooth, awful, magnetic weather and general depression. The snow is currently pathetic as well. However, I don’t think that’s what Jeremy meant – I think he needs a list of priorities. So, here goes:

1] To see at least one of our Blogpowerers on Doughty or for one of the top bloggers – Tim Worstall, Iain Dale or maybe even the Devil’s Kitchen, to simply acknowledge the existence of Blogpower. These seem the most reasonable guys. I don’t think there’s much hope with Guido on this one, sweet, unassuming guy though he is.

2] To take care of the health as a major priority.

3] To prioritize time and to organize clients far better than I did in 2006.

4] To find a way to escape as much of the mayhem and hoopla as possible on my birthday, on Valentines two days later, on the Russian men’s day on Feb 23rd, on the women’s day on March 8th and that will pretty well see us through.

5] To have a holiday and try to recharge the batteries.

6] To write better stuff on the blog.

7] To get a life.

And now to drop this onto Ellee Seymour, Sicily Scene, Imagined Community, Praguetory [who will surely be delighted] and The Englishman. I have to stop somewhere so that will do for now.

[blogfocus saturday] ranting - how far can one go [part 1]

The theme this evening [and I’m posting early because I’m ill and heading off to bed after this] is ‘Ranting – just how far can one go’. Most of the contributions below are from gifted amateurs but on Tuesday some real professionals at this art form will hit the field for a workout, to round out the theme. Let’s start this evening with one of the pros who’s still in second gear here but I’m sure he’ll open up soon enough in the coming days.

1] I don’t know this man. He doesn’t know me. But in his short time back at the helm, he shows he’s an old hand at the art of the rant and it seems a great many people welcomed the return of the Prodigal Son. Here are two of them. I shan’t name him but I sure like the way he writes:

Moral relativist par excellence, author A S Byatt has long been devoid of any beliefs - moral or otherwise - as was made clear in a November Independent interview: In a nutshell, my philosophy is this: Never stop paying attention to things. Never make your mind up finally. Do not hold beliefs.

As a believer that moral certainties do in fact exist, and that to believe in them is laudable, I'm heartened by the revelation in the pages of today's Indy that Ms. Byatt has - at 70 - acquired her first fundamental moral principle, having made up her mind finally that capital punishment is wrong (a view which I incidentally share).

It gets even better. Do go and have a look but of course, you have already, haven’t you?

2] ‘Phoneyness in contemporary culture’ is his tagline and Fabian gets stuck into one of the phoniest of the lot:

God, I am so sick of PMI - postmodern "irony". If well done, it is captivating and amusing for about ten minutes, after that it starts to have the grating quality of squeaky chalk. The term "irony" is, in any case, one of the worst abuses of the English language of all time. 95% of the time when it is used, what is really meant is "mockery".

BBC drama productions seem to have a particular line in PMI. It's as if all BBC producers are nowadays required to attend some training course called "How to ensure all topics and themes are treated with sufficient nudge-nudge, we-are-so-past-this knowingness".

3] With a headline like: Sex Bomb Pussy Cat Crazy No More, the eye would naturally turn to this piece by the Spicy Cauldron but does it qualify as a rant?

Miss Drusilla Barbarella, our latest feline family member, goes this morning to the vet’s to be neutered and ID chipped. She’s still in full heat even though it’s nearly two weeks since she started with the weeping and the wailing on Christmas Day.

ID chipped? First the felines, then us, would you think?

Eleven more bloggers plus the Mystery Blogger here.

[ill] two posts only this evening

Had plans to post a few this evening but toothache and feeling yucky means I’ll do the East Finchley boy’s meme tag and then an earlier Blogfocus. No e-mails from me this evening, people, sorry. Not well.

Blogfocus is on the topic of “Ranting – how far can you go [part 1]?”

[journospeak] just the facts, ma’am

In the article on the new Congress, I put in some stats near the end but I’d like to write a little now about getting those stats. What it involved was a useless and wasteful exercise. Here’s the chronology:

1] Journo reads the list of stats from the Capitol.
2] To make a good article, he chops the list around, leaving some entries out, highlighting others, stating and restating so that the whole comes out as a ‘readable’ journalistic article.
3] Blogger reads the MSM article and decides to post. So he has to reconstruct the list, piece by piece, to where it was before the journo took it apart and then has to surf to find the last little links the journo deemed not worthy of inclusion.
4] The blogger then posts.

How many of us have time for this rubbish? Why couldn’t the journo have simply posted the list as it was, leaving us to draw our own conclusions and then, for those who wanted, there would be an annotated comment for each entry? When there are lists and stats, we don’t want some beautiful journo piece getting in the way. We want ‘just the facts, ma’am’.

A perfect example of this wastage was the work behind this post.

[pres 2008] layman's view of the runners

One who won't be running

Democrats

Matt Frei comparing Obama with JFK.

So, can he win? Can he raise the cash? Can he survive the rough and tumble of the campaign and the tough questions? Will the colour of his skin not count against him? Can he be convincing about security in the middle of an ongoing war? Can he survive the fickle adulation of the media? If the answer to all the above is yes, Barack Hussein Obama will be the 44th president of the United States… as strange as that may sound.”

Against that, he's still unknown in too many places, he hasn't a heavyweight team behind him, he's black.

The Lizard Queen: Immense experience, sympathy over Lewinsky, seems to have done well as Senator, sizable section of the populace love her, she's a woman. Plus she says the Obama threat will 'diminish' and the people who are in with her would know. Against that, McCain would beat her, millions hate her, many don't trust her.

The Democratic darkhorse at present is Tom Vilsack. Early days but looks quite reasonable and might be selected in reaction against the other two.

GOP

McCain’s age [72] and wishywashiness is against him, he's not liked by conservatives but he would beat the Lizard Queen in a head to head.

Giuliani is too soft on abortion, too far left for most but for him is 911 and laura norder. The main problem for Giuliani is that the average voter who elected him mayor in 1993 and 1997 is very different than the average voter who will pick the Republican nominee in 2008.

There seems to be an opening here for a Great Hope to appear but most would probably be in training for 2012, just before the New World Order.

[obesity drugs] absolutely anything, bar exercise

Here goes half my American readership. Why do I write these things?

America, get off your bums, cut out the junk food, halve your portions and exercise.

That’s all. Then there’s no need for this rubbish:

The long-term safety and efficacy need to be documented for Xenical, Meridia and Acomplia before doctors can be certain that the benefits of these anti-obesity drugs outweigh the risks, according to a commentary appearing in The Lancet medical journal.

Xenical (known generically as orlistat) and Meridia (sibutramine) are currently approved for long-term use, while Acomplia (rimonabant) is under review by the US Food and Drug Administration. However, each of the agents carry potentially important adverse effects - frequent gastrointestinal side effects, raised blood pressure and heart rate, and mood disorders.

It’s the mindset which is upsetting – the idea that you can solve any condition with a drug. The idea that a thousand pills are better than natural remedies like actually getting out and walking.

And now I’m going to make another statement:

If the Americans were to take on Russia en masse, say in Prague and if the technology didn’t kill off both populations and if it ever came to hand to hand combat, the Russians would win. They’re in far better condition, physically and they’re more used to hardship.