[bloghounds are go] and taking members

Delighted to be able to report that August 11th is the day we launch officially.

There has been considerable discussion and questions have been mulled over concerning the setting up; there have been some teething troubles too and yet here we are.

The site itself is a combined website/forum/mailing list and comes complete with bar, swimming pool and jacuzzi. We hope the user login thingy is not too offputting and that you enjoy your visits there.

During the establishment process we noted some negativity from parts of the sphere but this was quite overwhelmed by the positive feedback and the well wishes - so we're a happy bunch today who feel we have a worthwhile group, Bloghounds whose humble aim is to associate with the best in the blogosphere, the up and comers and even the shy and reticent, with a view to mutual support, encouragement and assistance.

You might like to take a look.

[sarko and mandy] love and mutual understanding

Had to chuckle - from the latest Private Eye [N1214]:

Sarko: Idiot! Cochon! Rosabif! Vous etes un
laughing stock.

Mandy: Vous can talk, matey, avec votre oo-la-la avec Mlle Bruni
et votre platform shoes.

Sarko: Watch votre step, Matelot ...

[self promotion] how to lose readers fast

Routes of the internet, according to Wiki

This post is for the inexperienced blogger. All the rest of you, forgive it please.

There's a lady who is doing the rounds of our part of the sphere and though she means well, she is doing wrong. I am not guoiltless myself of having done this from time to time but I try not to as far as possible.

In short, this lady is going to people's blogposts and commenting along the lines of "Please visit my site." There are a number of things wrong with this and it shows her inexperience as a blogger.

1. It is against generally accepted blog etiquette to go round actively promoting yourself.

2. It has a negative effect on those who visit and more will decide not to go to that "newbie" site than will decide to go there. There's a bloodymindedness factor here.

3. There are alternatives:

a. Your name itself in most comments is a hyperlink and so if you have written a witty or pertinent comment, people are likely, in their own time and way, to wander over to you and see what you have. If you push them or appear to be trying to, they'll be irritated.

b. If you were to actually read that blogger's post and get into the discussion on it [the thing almost all of us want], then put a link to his-her post inside your own post on the issue, you've helped him-her and helped yourself through the backlink system.

Many blogs have the system that if you link to someone's post, it shows up in that comments section and other bloggers see it and might click on your own post link displayed there.

That is the way to go.

c. The only other way is the hard grind - get round to other sites and show an interest. Only then will they come to yours. To keep them coming to yours, you have to write interesting posts on a regular basis. There's no other way out of it.

For an interesting article on the blogosphere and MSM, Ian Appleby has this piece, hat tip Tiberius.

[sleeping well?] maybe it's time to act

CEOs, ordinary mortals, doesn’t matter who - - your existence is built around four pillars:

1. Diet
2. Exercise
3. Sleep
4. Spiritual calm
and being positively valued by others.

My take is that if you religiously practise the first four, the fifth will often suggest itself to you anyway. I’m not a guru but it stands to reason.

This blogging though – I need sleep:

Sleep ...

One of the tricks is to schedule rest and sleep. There are enough stats on the web not to clog up the blog with these but in a nutshell, what it comes down to is that a scheduled 20 minute nap in the middle of the day is the best, followed by adequate sleep at night at home. Sleeps during the day are right out!

How to schedule it? That’s easy – you have a meeting with Mrs Jones at that time, can’t be disturbed under any circumstances [mobile off] and the office door is locked. Poontang with the secretary is one other possibility but a 20 minute snooze, not a deep sleep, is the best variant of them all.

But it’s not enough to schedule sleep and this takes aggressive planning in itself. It’s being able to wind down that’s the really difficult part.

Hyped up – that’s the problem.

Maybe it comes down to temperament - some of us are more sanguine than others. The Sherlock Holmes thing about his mind being a train, running wildly out of control and off the tracks if it is not connected up with the work for which it was designed - that holds water. And yet Holmes had his breakdowns as well and we're surely not advocating the opium.

The next quote's link has been lost in the mists of time but I've kept these words on stress:

Stress is the "wear and tear" our bodies experience as we adjust to our continually changing environment; it has physical and emotional effects on us and can create positive or negative feelings.

As a positive influence, stress can help compel us to action; it can result in a new awareness and an exciting new perspective. As a negative influence, it can result in feelings of distrust, rejection, anger, and depression, which in turn can lead to health problems such as headaches, upset stomach, rashes, insomnia, ulcers, high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke.

I also quoted Douglas Adams in a recent post about the ‘fundamental interconnectedness of all things’, a repackaging of an old truism. More specifically:

A report released by VicHealth yesterday shows that workplace stress is directly linked to up to a third of cases of cardiovascular disease in men and a third ___ depression cases in women.

But it is not only individuals who are paying the price. Businesses are hit by increased absenteeism and employee turnover, the report says.

"Workplace stress costs the entire community dearly in terms of human suffering and lost productivity," VicHealth chief Rob Moodie said.

The report reviewed 90 international studies, assessed exposure to stress in more than 1000 workers, and interviewed public and private employers, employer groups and trade unions.

Professor LaMontagne said exposure to stress at least doubled the risks of leading chronic diseases, including depression, cardiovascular disease and anxiety, and was therefore a significant contributor to the overall burden of disease in society.

[Melbourne Age, By Chantal Rumble, May 26th, 2006]

Suggested solution?

Flexible work schedules, improved communications, family-friendly practices and adequate compensation were key features of a less-stressful work environment, he said.

"The first thing all companies can do is communicate with their employees and work together in redesigning jobs to reduce workload and give them greater say or control in how their work gets done."

And one of the most quoted aspects of stress – was it sleep? Was it heck – most people don’t even consider it a risk. Oh, I only need three hours and a cup of coffee.

Bet if I followed you round and did a time ad motion on you, I’d find plenty of examples of how your body was fighting back.

Also, stressing out can be seen as a badge of honour – a sign of someone who’s making money hand over fist. Take a break for two weeks and Bob’s your uncle. Except that he’s not, the overall effect is cumulative and then we finally arrive at that pseudo-scientific syndrome – being burnt out.

Robert Roberts, MD, director of cardiology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston says:

During sleep, blood pressure and heart rate have a chance to rest, and adrenaline quiets down. "That's good not only for the cardiovascular system but also for tissue repair. However, let's remember that the major risk factors for heart disease include high cholesterol and smoking," he says. "And certainly the biggest one today is obesity, which induces diabetes and increased blood pressure. The fact that sleep reduces blood pressure is reason enough to get more sleep."

[Jeanie Davis, Sleep, Less and More, Linked to Heart Disease, reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MD on Monday, January 27, 2003, WebMD Medical News: Too Much or Too Little Sleep Can Raise Blood Pressure, Stress Hormones]

And don’t forget sleep apnea:

With each apnea, the brain receives a signal to arouse the person from sleep in order to resume breathing, but consequently sleep is extremely fragmented and of poor quality.

People with untreated sleep apnea are generally not even aware of the awakenings but only of being extremely sleepy during the day. They may, however, realize that they snore or gasp for air during sleep. Loud snoring, punctuated with periods of silence (the apneas), is typical but is not always present, especially in children.

Consequences of untreated sleep apnea include high blood pressure and other cardiovascular disease, and weight gain. People with untreated sleep apnea may also complain of falling asleep inappropriately, morning headaches, memory problems, feelings of depression, reflux, nocturia (a need to use the bathroom frequently at night), and impotence.

Sleep apnea is treatable but it’s my guess that if you have it, you’re so stressed out already that you’ll not stop long enough to go out and fix it. Check these boxes:

Are you a loud, habitual snorer?
 Yes  No

Do
you feel tired and groggy on awakening?
 Yes  No

Are you often
sleepy during waking hours and/or can you fall asleep quickly?
 Yes  No

Are you overweight and/or do you have a large neck?
 Yes  No

Have you been observed to choke, gasp, or hold your breath during sleep?
 Yes  No

[The American Sleep Apnea Association, 1424 K Street NW, Suite 302, Washington, DC 20005, phone: 202/293-3650, Fax: 202/293-3656, www.sleepapnea.org]

Another one:

"We found that ... six ... hours of sleep is not optimal [when compared with eight]," Alexandros N. Vgontzas, MD, tells WebMD. "Twohours of sleep deprivation per night for one week is associated with increased sleepiness, decreased performance, and activation of the inflammatory system." Vgontzas, a professor of psychiatry at Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, is the author of a study on the effects of sleep deprivation.

In other words - fatigue.

Fatigue is a feeling of tiredness, exhaustion, or lack of energy. You may feel mildly fatigued because of overwork, poor sleep, worry, boredom, or lack of exercise.

Any illness, such as a cold or the flu, may cause fatigue, which usually goes away as the illness clears up. Most of the time, mild fatigue occurs with a health problem that will improve with home treatment and does not require a visit to a health professional.

A stressful emotional situation may also cause fatigue. This type of fatigue usually clears up when the stress is relieved.

Many prescription and nonprescription medications can cause weakness or fatigue. The use or abuse of alcohol, caffeine, or illegal drugs can cause fatigue.

A visit to a health professional usually is needed when fatigue occurs along with more serious symptoms, such as increased breathing difficulties, signs of a serious illness, abnormal bleeding, or unexplained weight loss or gain.

Fatigue that lasts longer than 2 weeks usually requires a visit to a health professional. This type of fatigue may be caused by a more serious health problem, such as:

A decrease in the amount of oxygen-carrying substance (hemoglobin) found in red blood cells (anemia).

Problems with the heart, such as coronary artery disease or heart failure, that limit the supply of oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscle or the rest of the body.

Metabolic disorders, such as diabetes, in which sugar (glucose) remains in the blood rather than entering the body’s cells to be used for energy.

Problems with the thyroid gland, which regulates the way the body uses energy.

A low thyroid level (hypothyroidism) can cause fatigue, weakness, lethargy, weight gain, depression, memory problems, constipation, dry skin, intolerance to cold, coarse and thinning hair, brittle nails, or a yellowish tint to the skin.

A high thyroid level (hyperthyroidism) can cause fatigue, weight loss, increased heart rate, intolerance to heat, sweating, irritability, anxiety, muscle weakness, and thyroid enlargement.

Kidney disease and liver disease, which cause fatigue when the concentration of certain chemicals in the blood builds up to toxic levels.

Chronic fatigue syndrome is an uncommon cause of severe, persistent fatigue.

If fatigue occurs without an obvious cause, it is important to evaluate your mental health. Fatigue is a common symptom of mental health problems, such as anxiety or depression. Fatigue and depression may become so severe that you may consider suicide as a way to end your pain. If you think your fatigue may be caused by a mental health problem, see your health professional.

[Healthwise, Incorporated, P.O. Box 1989, Boise, ID 83701, 2003]

So how to wind down? It takes great willpower. You MUST schedule time in your ‘graphic’ for the week. It’s as simple as that. Then, when you get there, it all depends if you have a good secretary-partner or not. If you do, then you can trust her not to allow ANYBODY through that door or onto that phone. If you know your 20 minutes is yours – all yours – then that’s a huge boost to be going on with. The next part you can do yourself.

For those who are interested, my archived postings on the rich and the dead [1&2] also addresses this matter. Johnathan Pearce, at Samizdata, has also touched on this. You'd need to use the search term "sleep" most likely as I don't have the link any more.

[thought for the day] wednesday evening

There is no left or right in UK politics any more. This battle is about one thing:

Authoritarianism versus Liberty.

[Ian Parker Joseph]

Courtesy of The Broadsheet Rag

[runways] race and gender equality

Just had to link to this one, which you've no doubt already seen. As I put in the comments section:

"Sigh!"

[irish jokes] and jewish and australian and ...

Chukchi in Russia's north

There is still one Irishman joke Jams enjoys because of the sting in its tail:

An Irishman was looking for work in London. He goes to a building site where the Foreman says to him that he can have a job if he can answer this one simple question: "What is the difference between a girder and a joist"

The Irishman looks the foreman in the face and says: "That's simple. Girder wrote Faust and Joist wrote Ulysses."

It's said that nationalist jokes spring from irrational fear of or ignorance of another nation. Sometimes they just reflect arrogant pride in one's nation being superior to all others and target the most backward or vulnerable. In Russia, the Chukchi are the standard target but they do get their revenge:

A Chukcha and a Russian geologist go hunting polar bears. They track one down at last. Seeing the bear, the Chukcha shouts "Run!" and starts running away. The Russian shrugs, raises his gun and shoots the bear.

"Russian hunter bad hunter, however", says the Chukcha, "Now you haul this bear ten miles to the yaranga yourself!"

In Russia, the use of "odnako" or "however", is the usual way jokers identify the Chukchi, a bit like the Jewish "already".

Let's not even start on Jewish or blonde jokes.

[food supply] plus water equals power

Don't want you to worry or anything:

The government officials who are supposed to protect America’s food supply are not certain what has made almost 1,000 people ill in the last three months. At first it was raw tomatoes that appeared to be tainted with a rare form of salmonella. So, consumers avoided tomatoes, and the tomato business suffered mightily.

Health officials are still worried about tomatoes, but they’ve also raised concerns about jalapeño peppers. Or perhaps cilantro. Or maybe some brands of salsa. Somewhere. Meanwhile, people keep getting sick.

Seems to me that:

1. There are a lot a scare tactics being used on the populace just now, perhaps to soften us up for the main play down the track;

2. Food plus water supply equals a whole lot of power in a few hands. Joseph in Egypt springs to mind.

No Clue has a nice take on the food issue at her site.

[bloghounds] daily report is at the site

Today's report is up and you're welcome to pop over and look.

[tuesday quiz] who said these things?

1. The good thing about them is that you can look at them with the sound turned down [of the Spice Girls].

2. The chief enjoyment of riches consists in the parade of riches.

3. Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose, is a rose.

4. When I split an infinitive, G-d damn it, I split it so it will stay split!

5. Curtsey while you're thinking what to say. It saves time.

Clues

Musical groups, famous with libertarians, philosophy, hard-boiled detective, children

Answers, as usual, require you to highlight below

George Harrison, the Independent, 1997; Adam Smith, Wealth of Nations, 1776; Gertrude Stein, Sacred Emily, 1913; Raymond Chandler, to a proof-reader, 1947; Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass, 1872

[bloghounds] things moving along

We can say the steering committee is almost in place and will be calling for members in the next few days, once the infrastructure [mailing list, site etc.] is in place.

Some quite legitimate questions have arisen and need to be answered. These are my answers on my site but there will be a group statement on the actual site later.

[Speaking for myself, there was and is no intention of taking over BP though it would have been good to have been one of the steering committee and then retire. As someone said, it was testing the climate of opinion only.]

Purpose - the reason we felt that this group was needed was, roughly speaking, that people have demonstrated that they do like to be part of a respected group identity - there is resistance to losing that, they do like a happy, cheerful environment and one other thing...

As one of the founder members of BP, I can say there were errors made. The membership intake was indiscriminate in the middle of 2007 and that's where the problems sprang from [BNP issue etc].

The only way to overcome problems of that kind is to legislate, create a plethora of rules, rewrite them to meet changed circumstances etc. Someone within BP said that it could all have been prevented by firm but friendly entry requirements in the first place, where everyone both knew and accepted the few rules [see the criteria here]then it becomes relatively smooth sailing, give or take diversity of opinion from then on.

It does appear that already, in one day, people are seeing that there need not be a conflict of interest here.

In the end, whichever way you cut and dice it, it comes down to two choices - completely unfettered entry and then there is no way various people can be prevented from acting as they wish or else you run with restriction at entry point, after which it is just as unfettered and anyone can say anything but being of a certain nature, it's probably going to be a good atmosphere in a boisterous way.

The notion of carefully reviewing membership at point of entry meaning dull membership without spine is really rubbish. The names I've seen so far are not noted for their compliance and would reject any sort of control as anathema. Yet they're great bloggers.

And there are eight members of a blog-diverse steering committee all giving their opinions. There is a lot of give and take in that and certainly my own feelings and prejudices form only one eighth part of the total opinion and I know that at least three of these would be averse to anyone riding over the top of them.

Also, the message coming through loud and clear from the e-mails is that patient and sure is the way to go.

That's as it should be.

This is the captain of your ship your heart speaking...

This is the captain of your ship your heart speaking...



See post below...Full Steam Ahead

Handing back over...

[full steam ahead] hope there are no more submerged rocks

... anyway, as we were saying on Friday in that last post before we were interrupted:

"No, don't rub your eyes - it is nourishing obscurity ..."

In among the dangerous rocks and reefs out there in that blog ocean, there are some wonderful havens of friendship and good cheer.

Thank you and I'm back [as far as I know] also due to the kindness of that chap not suing me.

[bloghounds] staying cool in the sphere

[This badge is only a mock up and will be reviewed by the steering committee, along with the tag line. If you can think of a good tag line, suggest it and it can be adopted. If there are copyright issues with the pic, it will be changed.]


The events of the weekend, appearing out of the blue and resulting in the shutdown of this blog, were simply an extension of something which has been happening for a long time in another place and I do not propose to comment on that here.

Yesterday, initial feelers were sent out to various BP members as to whether the group could be initially disbanded and then reformed under the auspices of a steering committee. The result below was not intended at the time, certainly not to kick off today but as it all went public late yesterday, there was considerable feedback, mainly along two lines:

1. The logistics of such a move would seem to be prohibitive;

2. A certain amount of feedback supported the idea of setting up an entirely new group, incorporating the best principles of Blogpower plus one or two others.

If you happen to have read the original BP post, you’ll see that it mentions a smallish group of mutually supportive bloggers and a number of the 2006 members have at times referred to the friendly atmosphere which used to prevail.

Contrast that to the past few months and even the last few days and not much more needs to be said.

Blogpower was certainly unique in that it drew together people of all walks of life, of differing political bents, even completely apolitical beings [yes, they exist in large numbers] and certainly from different parts of the world.

This was its strength.

As it grew and changed its focus somewhat, the principles many held dear seemed to assume less importance than formerly. The proposals below attempt to redress the balance. It is proposed that:

1. A new blog group be set up, initially called Bloghounds as a working name and using a steering committee to set up the group and to do the early admin.

2. While it would be nice to see some of the 2006 Blogpowerers plus the current BP administrators [2 in number] represented on the steering committee of seven, it is really open to others as well, however shy, who feel they could play a part.

3. The steering committee would initially assess membership requests according to these guidelines:

a. The blog would need to be of at least one month’s standing and be of an acceptable standard, with clear navigation.

b. The blogger needs to be identifiable, whether using an avatar or real name and be clearly active in the sense in which the committee understands the term.

c. He or she needs to accept and see the necessity for replying to comments, participating as a group member, carrying the banner in the sidebar, carrying at least one form of the blogroll, agreeing to be part of the mailing list and most importantly would make a genuine attempt to link to fellow members at least once a week.

d. The blogger would further need to accept that the group homepage and mailing list are semi-public and not appropriate fora to air personal issues which are not of interest to the group as a whole and he or she should not have a previous history of divisiveness, troublemaking or harassment of fellow bloggers.

4. The steering committee, having looked at the request for membership and if having decided against, is honour bound to e-mail the blogger concerned with both the vote and the reason why. That blogger is welcome to try again after two months.

On the matter of the vote, one dissension would necessitate a more thorough steering committee review of the proposed blogger, two dissensions would need to be taken seriously, three would fairly well end the current bid. Abstentions would be advisable in a conflict of interest situation.

Therefore the composition of the steering committee itself is quite critical and a good cross-section of even-headed, experienced bloggers are being sought for this.

5. The main thrust of these guidelines is not to tie anyone up in red tape but to enable enjoyable membership of the group without petty disputes, recrimination, drawn out issues and other things which often tend to sour what should be a fun activity.

6. Once a group of around twenty bloggers is in operation [and this could take some considerable time, approaching the dead season for blogging], members are asked to nominate and vote for the ongoing admins. When the admins are in place, the steering committee retires.

7. On a personal note, I’d like to make it known that though I am perhaps up for the steering committee, I have no intention of becoming a permanent admin.

Should you wish to be a member of the steering committee, it would be lovely if you were to make yourself known in the next few days.

UPDATE AT 7.57 - first four expressions of interest have arrived so that is encouraging.

Another nice person at 9.05 so we're up to five. I think maybe eight would be interested initially. Any more would be a bonus. Have to get some sleep now - the neighbours' dogs were barking all night.

Initial list

Group name: bloghounds
Group home page: http://bloghounds.org/
Group email: bloghounds@email.com

[clandestini] something here for all of us

Yet another tragedy was splashed across the local paper casually dropped on the glass tabletop with the inlaid design, in the cafe I strolled down to on Sunday morning.

Here was I, white, clean shaven, dressed as smartly as any local, sipping on my coffee, just as the scattering of others also were who’d stayed in the city rather than go to the beach or to their country houses. Did I care?

Well yes.

The people in the news are the clandestini, the boat people who, desperate to escape the senseless poverty and violence of the North African Muslim regimes, prefer to chant “Sicilia or Paradise”, the latter their watery destination should they fail, which they generally do. And yet this does not dissuade them from trying.

The Italian, the Sicilian attitude, is a tad kindlier than, say, in Germany or France. There is a grudging recognition down this way that we are all struggling to make ends meet and to find some sort of life in the process.

And what of me, silently finishing the first cappuccino? I’m also by no means out of the woods, off the boat to mix metaphors. It is quite possibile that a stroke of the pen will end my stay once again. So you’ll perhaps forgive a slight edge to my interest in the boat people.

The other day for the first time, I saw one of the survivors emerge from the kitchen of a cafe and pick some leaves from a tree, then merge back into her sanctuary. She was working, possibly long hours. She had every intention of integrating and trying to find acceptance in a very closed community.

Contrast this with the aliens allowed in on study visas in Britain who then kick up merry hell at the end of their time. Contrast it with the proliferation of Mosques and the like, led by people who then have the temerity to demand their own system of justice, Sharia Law.

Oh yes?

And what does the head of the UK police say? Get knotted? You will conform to British law whilst in this country? Not a bit of it. He says there is a place for Sharia Law in Britain’s legal system. Was there a place for Jewish Law in previous years? Bahai Law? Was there a Buddhist system of justice recognized by the Crown?

Sorry to be so grumpy but why the hell should Sharia Law be picked out of the air and favoured by the British police and justice system?

Every one of you knows the answer to that. Because these leaders are not socially agreeable, hard-working immigrants, trying to integrate with British society. They are trouble makers trying to impose an alien system on someone else’s country.

Ours.

Now if I’d written that about the Bahai, about the Buddhists, there’d have barely been more than a murmur. So why the howls of rage from this community, insistent on no offence being given them?
Look.

Any person of any race, religion or color is generally welcome to another land, as long as the clear intention is to integrate and conform to the law and social mores of that country.

Here in Italy, it is quite clear – to have any intention of remaining, one learns the language, the customs, the traditions of the place, mixes with the local people, rather than hiding away in a ghetto, contributing to the local economy and needing to be seen to be doing this.

One keeps one’s protestantism low key and visit the Catholic church, eating the local cuisine – not all the time but much of the time, transmitting one’s own culture to the locals as and when they wish to know of it.

Having now travelled from land to land, this appears fundamental, something that should simply be taken as read.

Not in my homeland, it seems.

Read Cllr.Tony Sharp's thoughts on this latter issue.

[Hopefully cross-posted later at Lord Nazh]

Thought for the Day

This is from an English perspective, I am quite sure Summer is very sunny in Sicily :-)

One July Summer

"What has happened to summer,
That's what I want to know.
Is she on a vacation -
Who knows where did she go?
Tell, what was she wearing;
A zephyr breeze and rosebud
Or grass and wild berry?
Could she be honeymooning
With spring or early fall
Or has she gone so far away
She'll not return at all?"

Dorothy Ardelle Merriam

A bit of a Sunday blog round up

A bit of a Sunday blog round up

Noclue and the cutting remark Ouch!

Cherrypie continues with her theme of a picture painting a thousand words with this photo of a castle of her dreams.

It maybe that JHL is deliberately misinterpreting Tory MP George Osborne giving relief at the petrol pumps, there again...

Bob Piper asks if David Davis is a stupid bugger...

UPDATE: Belated 100th birthday wishes to Ellee.

TalkLeft - The politics of crime
On what is it that the Left bloggers don't get?

[quick lunch] don't be fooled.

No, don't rub your eyes - it is nourishing obscurity, not Sicily Scene and it's a food post.

We were just tossing up what to have for lunch today and Welshcakes decided to throw together this little lot, called Maria Teresa's chicken and together with it went the Roman dish, Vignarola, of various peas, beans, onions and so on. Not to forget the artichocke hearts, all slow cooked in olive oil.

Well all right, admittedly that one was already cooked [it's better on the second day]. And note the glasses of water, JMB.

We are also in the throes of the great boiler war.

We need a new boiler, it's leaking something awful and no one will do anything they're supposed to. Well now they seem to be as I went down and took a look and a new boiler drum was standing by so we can only guess when this water nightmare will end.

Anyway, enough for now. Off to have some supper.

[friday pause] to take in the wildlife

Isn't this both tragic and sweet?

Richard Havers writes of the owl saga:

Two have died. Both were on the ground having left the nest. Owls have their young at different times so these were the first born. The good news is we still have two left, one is out the nest and the other is still in it.

According to the local gamekeeper it seems like they've not had enough food and that's why the older birds have died.

Mrs. H. read up that if the owlets fall out the nest they're a goner as the parents stop feeding them, which is obviously why it was trying to get back....

Do pop over and read the rest of it ... and once you're done there, you might like to get abreast of the news about the bees, from Liz Hinds. Or even wish Ellee happy birthday. If you're hungry after all that, join us here. Or at the Crystal Ark, at Granville Island. And as evening falls, you could do worse than take this in.

Have a lovely Friday.

[connex rides again] the excitement of commuting

This may be true. After all, it is Connex, of British infamy. Here and here too. Now this:

Passengers have told The Age of their "terrifying" ride on the train that sped through the City Loop with an open door during Tuesday's peak hour.

Connex has confirmed a packed Sydenham train left North Melbourne station just after 8am with one door open, forcing passengers to hold on to each other for safety.

One reader, who was in another carriage, observed "screams and general panic" as the train left North Melbourne station.

"The train sped up and people starting pushing from the door and trying to secure space down the corridor or towards my door," the reader said in an email.

"On a couple of occasions, the train rocked violently and pushed people towards the open door. I became concerned that the doors as a whole were faulty and that the door I was pressed against could open."

And yet the beat up is pretty nauseating by The Age. Hell, hasn't anyone been on the Madrid underground with the swinging chandeliers crashing into the luggage racks? Hasn't anyone ever been on a big dipper?

Bit of excitement in a commuter day, methinks. Now, if you don't mind, I'm heading down the street for a cappuccino - entirely on foot.

[thought for the day] thursday evening

This evening, I plan to kill three birds with one stone:

1. Last evening Jeremy Jacobs commented on the “thought for the day”:

A bit profound for a Wednesday evening;

2. Jams O’Donnell also indicated that he’d like to see a good Wordless Wednesday from me;

3. Welshcakes was telling me how much she loved football and couldn’t stand even one day without it. I thought I’d take up Beaman’s idea and convert it into a poem.

For all three august bloggers, the result is here to read. Hope you enjoy it:

Thank you.

[youtube] your data now with another company

Ever post a youtube vid or watch one?

"Google will have to turn over every record of every video watched by YouTube users' names and IP addresses, to Viacom, which is suing Google for allowing clips of its copyright videos to appear on YouTube, a judge ruled Wednesday.

Although Google argued that turning over the data would invade its users' privacy, the judge's ruling (.pdf) described that argument as "speculative" and ordered Google to turn over the logs on a set of four tera-byte hard drives."

What fun to be living in this day and age. James Barlow would certainly disagree with that statement, as he outlines the great parking dilemma:

If we define the problem to be "too many cars on the road", the general consensus amongst drivers seems to be that the solution is better public transportation systems for other drivers. But very few people have any desire to make the "modal shift" themselves.

Quite right and yet I'm currently on foot [well, actually I'm at the computer just now] but am thinking of a motorbike.

Just thinking, mind.

[awards] comment at the site

Not much blogging time this morning. Comment on the Awards is at the site [click pic in sidebar].

[thought for the day] wednesday evening

There are any number of these but this one introduces the topic fairly well:

The only failure a man ought to fear is failure of cleaving to the purpose he sees to be best.

[George Eliot]

Well, I can't completely agree. When one is failing, sometimes it is better to cut one's losses and smile; one scrutinizes the failure, works out the weakness in the idea and plans it better for the next time.

To cleave to a losing idea though seems to me the height of folly.

Of course, some say perseverance is also a fine attribute, the tenacity of the bulldog, the never-say-die attitude. So perhaps it comes down, in the end, to a question of judgement and experience.

[dillow logic] economic reasons women are crap

Flipchart Fair Tales takes the esteemed Chris Dillow to task for his Times affected article on his blog:

Since he got a regular column with the Times, Chris Dillow’s blog articles have become increasingly outlandish. His recent piece on why women are crap is a case in point.

However, although his arguments, if that’s what you can call them, are silly, they are no worse than some of the rubbish that apparently respectable columnists write about men.

Those all-men-are-hopeless articles have been around for at least the past twenty years. Some of the bullshit has been repeated so often that it has become ’stuff everyone knows’.

Chris answers, using that particular logic he's famous for:

My motivation for writing it was in my question: “am I a victim of selection effects?” and in the fact that a couple of earlier posts had discussed selection effects.

Let’s grant that my arguments are silly. Doesn’t this show that even huge samples - women I’ve met in the last 20 years - can be systematically biased, if they are drawn from non-random sources.

This being so, shouldn’t we be much less confident than we are about drawing inferences from personal experience - even a lot of it? The post was not about women, but about the nature of knowledge - a point everyone seems to have missed.

And yes, some of my posts might seem silly. But this is because I occasionally (often?) err on the side of silliness, to undermine notions of judgment, credibility and expertise.

My brain hurts.

[sarko's all right] three reasons why

There are three reasons why, despite some political decisions, Sarko is all right in my book.

Firstly:

Footage of French President Nicolas Sarkozy expressing irritation at a TV technician ahead of an interview has become an instant internet success. The video shows the employee clipping a microphone to Mr Sarkozy's tie, and not responding to a presidential "hello".

"It's a question of manners," Mr Sarkozy is heard muttering. "When you're invited, you're entitled to have people say 'hello' to you".

Mr Sarkozy has been caught several times in off-the-record videos posted on the web. One of them showed him at a farm show in February, swearing at a member of the public who refused to shake his hand.

Fair enough. And this too. Anyone Mandelson attacks has to be good in my book:

On BBC's Newsnight programme, Mr Mandelson attacked Mr Sarkozy in a row over a World Trade Organisation deal that would cut subsidies to French farmers.

"I am being undermined and Europe's negotiating position in the World Trade talks is being weakened and I regret that," said Mr Mandelson. "It's very disappointing because the mandate on which I'm negotiating…has been agreed by all the member states."

The third reason is to the left here. She's Italian, he was daring in taking on another tall woman and it seems to have annoyed so many people. I do wonder about their clinches sometimes and then manage to put it out of mind.

He's a larger than life figure [though perhaps not so large in life]and heaven knows the world needs more of those just now.

[2008 awards] progress report

Progress report on the Awards is now up at the site.

[right royal chat] the very next fad

Love this from Charon QC [the Questionable Cove]:

Last month the news broke that Gordon Brown was making phonecalls to unsuspecting members of the British public. Yesterday, the News of The World reported that The Queen had been thinking about setting up premium rate phone lines to allow the British public to call and get a message from the Royals - to help pay for the double glazing at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.

What then follows is a Charon podcast on the matter, replete with the meaning of "hice".

By the way, appropriate, wouldn't you say, that the Wikipic portrays the Duke together with that other great wordmaster, Dubya? I'd love to have been a fly on the wall [or guardsman's headgear] during that conversation.

I was once of the opinion that the Duke was just an alcohol swigging, foul-mouthed committee of 300 member, dedicated to population reduction and prone to gaffs but now I'm the first to admit I was wrong.

This has to be a mini-classic:

Personal remarks have annoyed singing stars. In 1969 The Duke said to Tom Jones after the Royal Variety Performance: "What do you gargle with, pebbles?"

or:

In 1995 he asked a Scottish driving instructor: "How do you keep the natives off the booze long enough to pass the test?"

Now I think you'd agree it takes a special sort of mind to dream up some of those.

Site of King Athelstan's Palace: Kingdom of Elmet

Site of King Athelstan's Palace: Kingdom of Elmet

Location Sherburn in Elmet

From 1955-1966, on and off, I lived a couple of miles from here at South Milford.

Steeton Hall gateway, South Milford, 14th century.

Our farmhouse was situated about 200-300 yards from this Ancient Monument. The village dates back to at least Saxon times. There is a secret passage in Steeton Hall which goes underground for 2 miles to the church in the photo above.

It was whilst I was at Primary School age that I recall asking my so-called foster father, why the small town next door was called Sherburn in Elmet when it was in Yorkshire? He replied that he did not know and suggested I ask the Headmaster. He did not know either. Sometime later when I was in Leeds I popped into the Central Library and conducted some research.

King Athelstan ruled all England and the capital of England was on this site. The Kingdom of Elmet was larger than the present day Yorkshire.

When all the talk is about devolution and independence, I think back to these times and wonder if those living in the area would be better off if the Kingdom of Elmet was revived?

I am talking about a revolution of sorts. With this in mind, I packed Liana off for a holiday in Riga, Latvia. I told her to prepare for battle...

Gun toting Lily

The Masonic Order of Athelstan

[blogger's blogger] first questions on the awards

I've done the rounds and looked at what people have said so far. There has been some quite positive feedback and some not so positive:

Morningstar says he won't support these Awards, then makes the points:

Yes I put the badge on my blog, I thought it was good that someone had recognised me, but I always felt as though it required being a part of the inner circle to get on the list. By the second one, I didn’t want to be on the list, there was too much stat porn being bandied around and I don’t think blog awards should be about visitor numbers, whichever measure you subscribe to.

The other annoying thing for me was seeing the American trend of bloggers wanting to supplant the mainstream media hit the UK, and the mainstream media moving into blogging.

And that, dear Morningstar, is precisely why these Awards are needed - awards by bloggers who are real bloggers for fellow bloggers. We know who we are, whether we are MSM or not. This mechanism keeps it all shipshape and Bristol fashion.

As for inner circle - well there are many inner circles. There's Blogpower, the Dale world, the Daily Kos world and so on. These Awards are beyond any circle and at the same time recognize each circle in its own category.

These awards are exactly for bloggers such as you, Morningstar. Easy to be negative. Far harder to support something. I hope you'll support the idea.

Already we have some names being put forward and as someone must start the ball rolling, these will appear as a list tomorrow and then those people asked if they'll be Panellists.

Finally for now, Welshcakes advised yesterday ' the Awards will certainly go ahead. Just give people enough time to come to grips with them.

So I'm still hopeful.

[wordless week] a solution to the seven days

There's always one

Now be honest – aren’t we just that wee bit weary of all these Wordless Wednesdays and Snappy-happy Saturdays?

Do you delight in being directed what to blog on, on which day and according to which theme?

Do you yearn to blog alphabetically?

Well, your humble correspondent might just have come up with the answer. Higham proposes that the week be surgically incised into seven equal portions and presented thussingly:

Mammary Monday

This day we all go out on the prowl for gratuitous totty and plaster our blogs with female flesh [or the ladies may indulge in the male of the species, should it be their wont]. Get the blood circulating early in the week.

Twittery Tuesday

“Made the Mall, met Maud and Mavis and lingered languorously over a long limpid lunch.” Makes for marvellous reading and should delight the blog community no end. So let’s all twitter on Tuesday and leave those pesky serious posts for later.

Woebegone Wednesday

Lest you feel this has all been too light-hearted, let’s sink into doom and gloom on Wednesday and post only about the latest deaths, famines, medical conditions and other inspiring fare. The aim is to leave every one of our readers in philosophical mood, still facing Thursday and Friday ahead.

Thurtabulous Thursday

Time to strangle our English and wax lyrical about the huge windfall we just came into or the tremendous travel we’ve just undertaken in a sunny paradise somewhere in the Mediterranean, whilst back home it’s still 10 degrees and drizzling. Sensitivity is the key here.

Furry Friday

This is where we festoon our blogs with furry creatures and loveable little moppets and write of how Woopsy did wee-wees and then mauled a weasel, in intricate detail recounting the usage of the pooper scooper and widdle sponge. A day for animal lovers and to post all those pics of your toddler in hilarious and endearing poses.

Sonorous Saturday

The trick here is to latch onto the latest Bete Noir, say Gordon or Robert, go on and on and on and on about his latest outrage, preferably lifting huge chunks from MSM articles, shoving them into interminable posts and adding the wry and witty analysis: “Isn’t he a bastard?”

For piquancy, we could add variations on the words Guardian, Gordo or Dubya.

Serene Sunday

This is the day of rest, the day we give the alliterated weekdays the shove and simply blog on something intelligent. Well OK – not all that inspiring, I admit. Or else we can go for a drive into the countryside.

Anyway, all in all, it should be a winner, don’t you think?

THE BLOGGERS’ BLOGGER AWARDS 2008

Feel free to copy and paste this graphic to publicize these awards. It would be nice if someone could provide a more professional job for the graphic and actual prize banners.


There is no doubt that Iain Dale’s UK Political Bloggers List is the definitive guide to ratings in the UK and that on the American continent, the Weblog Awards is the definitive guide.

All this is well and fine but there is still a need for a blogosphere peer review in all categories, not just political and the reason there has not been, so far this year is:

a. it’s a lot of damned hard work to set up
b. there has not been, apart from the “Super Blogger” or “Fine Blogger” badges which do the rounds, any definitive guide, since last year, which fellow bloggers would respect and who’s badge bloggers would proudly display.

Last year’s Blogpower Awards filled the gap to an extent but everyone remembers the difficulties which arose there.

As it appears that Blogpower are not running their mid-year awards this year, then it is high time, before people go away for school holidays, to run a peer review which the blogosphere will respect. Who better to launch it than the man at the centre of the 2007 controversy, yours truly.

There might well be a workable formula here:


THE BLOGGERS’ BLOGGER AWARDS 2008
Peer review of the blogosphere, by the blogosphere, for the blogosphere


How the Awards work

1. Names are called for today to fill five spots on a Panel of Moderators who will administer the running of the Awards. Naturally, the higher the status of the blogger on that panel, the more accepted the awards will be.

The way to nominate is to simply comment in the comments section of the post at the site [click on the red title]:

The Blogger's Blogger Awards 2008

with the name of someone you’d like to see on the panel. On Wednesday these nominations can be reviewed and a list drawn up of ten names on which you can comment further. On Friday the final five are chosen and are asked to participate. If they accept, they are given admin rights to the Awards blog.

2. The Panel then decides on categories between them. The idea is to choose categories where:

a. the small blogger is not swamped
b. the smaller countries don’t get swamped by the larger
c. the megablogger has his/her own category to compete in.

Categories are then published at the Awards blog as separate posts, each listed as a link in the first post at the top of the page. Visitors can then come to this page, click the category link and go to that separate window.

3. To nominate someone within a category, simply leave the name and url of a personal blogger of at least one month’s standing without any further commentary. Any commentary invalidates the nomination and it is deleted.

At the end of the stated nomination period, the admins see which ten are the most popular nominated and their sites go into that same post as links for voters to check out.

4. In the voting phase, personal bloggers of at least one month’s standing name the finalist of their choice, again using the comments section of that post. Again, it is transparent and anyone can see the state of play at any one moment.

Bloggers can vote once a day over the stated period [decided on by the Panellists] and because all comments carry dates and times, it’s easy to check that someone votes just once in a day. Any informal votes will be deleted by the Panel.

No Panellist may vote in a category he/she is nominated for.

5. By the end of the voting phase, it will be fairly clear who is out the front and who close on their heels.

So, to return to point one, time for you to:

NOMINATE A BLOGGER OF ONE MONTH’S STANDING FOR PANELLIST BY PUTTING HIS/HER NAME AND URL IN THE COMMENTS SECTION OF THIS POST.

[Please don't nominate at Nourishing Obscurity here.]


Appendix: Some possible categories

Political blogs

North America Left of centre
North America Centre
North America Right of centre
North America Nationalistic

UK Left of centre
UK Centre
UK Right of centre
UK Nationalistic

Rest of the World Left of centre
Rest of the World Centre
Rest of the World Right of centre
Rest of the World Nationalistic

Macropolitical [non-aligned, not country based, not issue based]

Economics

North America Economics
UK Economics
Rest of the World Economics

Blogstyle

Work related e.g. medical
Researcher and fisker
Humourist
Graphics intensive
Daily life/domestic/pets/food
Fashion

Blog readership

North America best little blog [under 200 uniques average]
UK best little blog [under 200 uniques average]
Rest of the World best little blog [under 200 uniques average]

North America best established blog [between 200 and 700 uniques average]
UK best established blog [between 200 and 700 uniques average]
Rest of the World best established blog [between 200 and 700 uniques average]

North America best major blog [between and 3000 uniques average]
UK best major blog [between 700 and 3000 uniques average]
Rest of the World best major blog [between 700 and 3000 uniques average]

North America best mega blog [upwards of 3000 uniques average]
UK best mega blog [upwards of 3000 uniques average]
Rest of the World best mega blog [upwards of 3000 uniques average]

Special

Services to blogging

[the sicilian luncheon] post-prandial report

You’d be forgiven for concluding from the previous post [given that you were at all interested in the first place] that the luncheon today was going to be dire.

Not a bit of it.

Already with memories of Welshcakes’ midnight pork, bacon strip and gherkin rolls, the remaining portions dipped into afresh this morning, we waited for the car to arrive to collect us.

The red Fiat Panda, driven by the student daughter, promptly arrived only 30 minutes past the appointed time; the free form jazz she was playing through the Blaupunkt which she turned up full blast through the rear speakers beside my ears in the back was nevertheless pretty talented stuff and the country lane, between the curving dry stone walls either side, was easy on the eyes.

The property itself was situated halfway between our town and the nearby Scicli, set in rolling hills. We turned onto a side road and headed uphill to the park set on a ledge cut into the hillside, a sprawling complex of house and outbuildings, also in the same lightish but cemented stone.

[Referring to the map below now] we went through the archway, the white clothed long table was just being set for lunch and elements of the extended family were here, there and everywhere, introductions being effected as and when.

Now to describe, clockwise, the complex of images coming at us.

Through the archway on the left was the cavernous kitchen-come-all-purpose room with its light-grey tiled floor and wooden tables; in the wall near where we stood was a Madonna set into the stonework; over the main table was a wood pergola; behind the table, up the little hill, was a terraced garden, each section with its own little stone retaining wall and to the right of that – the steps up the hill towards the yard.

Immediately beyond the main table was a cherry tree in a large tub and various other flora. To the right was the entrance to the little house, presumably where the grandparents or someone lived.

There is no tradition of bringing drinks to guests, even in 40 degree heat but one of the chaps took pity on Welshcakes and me and brought a bottle of mineral water so that was all right. Slowly, the guests arrived and the greater family now joined us, setting places and chatting and a nice crew they turned out to be – warmhearted and friendly.

At this point it would be as well to mention the underlying anarchic and chaotic nature of the Sicilian – it can be seen from the way dishes emerge in no particular order, through to the architecture and landscaping – nothing is even and levelled, everything can be a surprise. Overall, the effect though is pleasant and refreshing, certainly in an exercise like this luncheon.

The food began to emerge.

That’s more Welshcake’s department than mine but I can tell you the first thing up was an enormous pie of chicken and some sort of chicken mash, with a large pan of spicy rice and a fresh green salad as accompaniment.

Now came the white wine and it was quite delish. Outside was close to 40 degrees but where we sat could not have been over 28 or 29, with all the foliage everywhere. There was also an electric “bug zapper” in operation and highly effective it was too.

With me thinking it was all over, they now brought large bowls of what looked like stew in a tomato concoction but neither of us could have eaten much more at that point.

With me once more thinking it was over, they started distributing almonds and the wine changed to possibly the finest Muscat I’ve ever tasted and now it certainly looked like it was all over.

Not a bit of it.

Now came the local chocolate, various sweetmeats we’d brought and some other coconut or pinenut things plus the coffee. Surely that was it?

Not a bit of it.

Now came another round of Muscat and nuts, followed by the bringing of the sweet plums, apricots so juicy one could have cried and watermelon everywhere.

The host now came up nervously to check if he’d provided enough and the hostess did the same some minutes later.

Eventually we were given a lift back to town and that was The Sicilian Luncheon. Sicily is not a particularly rich area, in financial terms, for the average person but it is certainly rich in culture, food and human warmth and that showed through today.

Hopefully this post added to your own recollections of the area and brought back fond memories. For the rest – get down here and join us.

[sunday lunch] this will take some digesting

Well, this is the Higham's first venture outside the town and an interface with an Italian family - mum, dad, fourteen brothers, twenty sisters, husbands, boyfriends, children, grandchildren and various pets, not to mention a probably super lunch.

It's not Welshcake's first venture outside though so I'll rely on her to keep our end up in the conversation. Churlish to say we'd rather be resting in the cool of this apartment when the sun gets high but there it is - 11 a.m. the car will come for us and we'll no doubt report later in the day.

Have a good Sunday lunch yourselves.

[saturday quiz] steal straight from wiki version

Now I did promise this would be harder than Welshcakes' second quiz so here it is - a total steal from Wikipedia:

1. What is the first name of this famous artist?

Il 15 aprile 1874 s'inaugura, nello studio del fotografo Nadar, al secondo piano del 35 di boulevard des Capucines, la mostra del gruppo Societé anonyme des peintres, sculpteurs et graveurs, composto, fra gli altri, da Monet, Cézanne, Degas, Morisot, Renoir, Pissarro e Sisley, polemici nei confronti della pittura, allora di successo, accettata regolarmente nei Salons.

2. First name of this composer?

Gebuer de 22. August 1862, als éischt vu fënnef Kanner, gouf de Claude Debussy als Jong vum Manuel-Achille Debussy a sénger Fra Victorine agedroen. Gedeeft gouf hien eréischt zwee Joer méi spéit, wat deemols ongewéinlech spéit war.

3. First name of the film director of whom this is a part fimography:

2000: Chabrols süßes Gift (Merci pour le chocolat)
2003: Die Blume des Bösen (La fleur du mal)
2004: Die Brautjungfer (La demoiselle d’honneur)
2006: Geheime Staatsaffären (L’ivresse du pouvoir)
2007: Die zweigeteilte Frau (La Fille coupée en deux)
2007: La parure und Le petit fût, Episoden aus Chez Maupassant (TV)

4. Second name of the famous actor, by which he was better known:

William ____ Rains (10. november 1889 London, Inglismaa – 30. mai 1967 Laconia, New Hampshire) oli inglise päritolu USA lava- ja filminäitleja, enim tuntud peaosalisena filmidest "Nähtamatu mees" ("The Invisible Man"; 1933) ja "Phantom of the Opera" (1943).

5. One of Derek Jacobi's roles.


Answers [highlighting required as usual]

Claude [in modern anglicized parlance]

Dedicated to Ellee - she knows why.

Toilet humour?

Toilet humour?

I'm satire by my computer what are you doing?

A plagiarist copied and pasted the above post on a forum. Within 3 minutes the person was sussed out and confronted by another poster who had Googled the first line and found the original source. The plagiarist apologised and claimed that he or she had found it stuck to a toilet door.

[zimbabwe] it's the hypocrisy which galls

Good joke that, about predicting democracy - what sheep I reign over.

Please, if you are of a delicate disposition, excuse the tone of this post:

Brown calls Zimbabwe vote "new low"

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Saturday Zimbabwe's presidential election was a "new low" -- but predicted democracy will come to the southern African country.

Yeah, right. Just put your sanctions where your mouth is, tell Milliband to find a spine and Mugabe might miraculously fall. But you have no intention of doing that, do you, you hypocrite? You need Mugabe for the strategic plan.

And in other news, this from David Farrer:

Astounding, isn't it? But it must be true: the BBC is the source: Scotland's only female police chief has spoken for the first time since taking up the role.

Disgraceful the way she was gagged or credit to her gender? And to wind up, some little gems on life in Brown’s Britain:

Firstly, from the Quiet Man:

People living in a north Derbyshire hamlet have been told they cannot have signposts because it is not a "recognised" place. Holestone Moor near Matlock has been mentioned in census and gravedigging records since 1851.

But Derbyshire County Council said the settlement was not shown on local maps and therefore was not a recognised geographical location. Resident Steve Clemerson said the community definitely "did exist".

Next, from the Norfolk Blogger, who is apparently now banned from using direct.gov.uk:

Well in part, the government do know that I exist because they tell me I already have a direct.gov.uk login, but they refuse to allow me to use it. So when I phoned them and asked them to reset my password, I realise just how serious a problem I might have.

You see, because I didn't send in any photo ID last year within 21 days, I have been banned and barred from using direct.gov.uk AND they have no way of re-instating me and no number I can contact in order to be allowed to use the system ever again.

And from Private Eye’s latest edition, 1213 [June 27th]:

In Salford … the Labour Council threatened to charge children from St. George’s Primary School, which is facing the axe, for the cost of a road closure if they marched in protest. No one, as yet, has paid the £1918.35 bill. A letter has arrived at the school threatening “county court proceedings” or “referral to a debt recovery agency”.

Charming, simply charming, don’t you think?

[thought for the day] friday evening

I think it was the Manx poet William Bealby Wright [but was more likely someone entirely different] who, in the late 70s, uttered:

You don't expect a decent chap to actually take you up on an invitation.