Practicals, pleasures and politics does not quite sum up Thursday October 2nd, but nearly. The alarm did not go off but the inbuilt body clock ensured that I was up around 8.30 but it was still a rush to get myself ready to take the car for its annual service and MOT. Last year the bill was around £500 but this year it was less than half, although there is a list of things that could go wrong over the next year. I walked back in bright sun light but there was a chill air. There is no progress with the new supermarket, and the site has been cleared and partially made good but in such a way suggesting the contract was not completed. The opportunity was taken to buy two punets of grapes at the station on the way back. The credit card payment for the month was made after working out what one debit was for and sending an email to Spectrum internet regarding a double charge for the use when in Croydon in August.
Although it was chilly outside I decided that with the car being serviced I would sweep the floor of the garage and patio, attend to the plants and assess the need for additional spring bulbs given the increase in container space. On the way back from collecting the car I looked in at B and Q to see what was available including some autumn flowering plants but decided to return next Wednesday when a 10% discount will be available. I received two telephone calls regarding the car and then one from the GP Health centre to invite for the Winter flu jab next Tuesday at lunchtime.
For many decades I have been interested in the workings of the mind and the interaction between mind and body. The mind control all body functions as well as creating our awareness of the external world, and our inner life, from normal waking dreams to the hallucinations of disturbed minds, in some instance substance induced hallucinatory experience. This interest was aroused several times over the past few days, including in the morning. There was a radio interview with a researcher who argued that changing the sound of cooking and eating food affected our perception of the pleasures of the food. Apparently by altering the sound rather than the food we think we are enjoying some foods better and an example of this was crisps, although I although believe that the look, the packaging, and the feel are also involved.
This afternoon I watched a film called Cello and there was much cello playing to enjoy and in fairness I had read that it was a sinister frightener from Korea. Despite the language barrier it was genuine frightener with moments of horror and with a very effective twist at the end, which for once I do not reveal in this edition. The story is that of a music theory teacher who was a promising cellist before she married but no longer plays and who is confronted by a student who she failed and who now threatens to make her pay. What follows can be attributed to this student, or to the woman becoming increasingly disturbed and hallucinating, by a series of unrelated family tragedies and horrors, or by some something she did in the past. The film does not attempt to provide answers for specific events but makes the general point that what we do and in what we do not, lives with us for eternity, and that if we do bad or evil things and then run away from our action, refuse to take responsibility and face up to its social consequences, then such behaviour will affect our lives in appropriate proportion in other ways. While I have no direct experience and I appreciate there are conflicting views on such situations occur, I do believe that the human mind can create physical manifestations.
The previous day I watched the Memoirs of an Invisible Man, again, and found this concept film just as enjoyable as before. It has always been considered science fiction that someone could have a physical presence in an environment and not be seen by others in the same environment. Animals, fishes and insects have developed evolved natural coverings which help then merge into their environment in such a way that tot eh casual eye they are not recognised for what they are, and similar approaches have been used to disguise solders, and their weaponry, including craft on land, water and airspace. Why not then the human form?
I also saw part of an X files in which a combination of a chemical spay and subliminal messaging created violent, murderous and self destructive human behaviour.
I am not sure the explanation of the present financial chaos is that presented to the public by politicians a d in the media by financial and political commentators. If I was a fundamentalist who wanted to inflict my beliefs upon the world and regarded causing harm as well as death and destruction as means towards an end, then the use of the terrorist bomb is surely only one weapon, especially if I had access to unlimited funds. I would look go creating havoc and undermining confidence in those I wished to persuade or eliminate, and I would not need to signal my actions in any way. Destabilising financial systems and depressing economies is one obvious approach where the risk to ones warriors is limited, however similar to weapons of mass destruction, such an allegation and not be made unless there is the means to substantiate. I was alarmed by a couple of news reports recently which are open to different interpretations, It was alleged than Iran has been taking steps to further disguise its nuclear weapons programme and was also said to be undertaking tests which were the basis of an inter continental ballistics programme which if so has to be dealt with as strongly and effectively as possible for not to do so threatens the whole middle east and consequently the rest of the humanity. There was also a report that the UN Nuclear minority body were claiming they could not do the job required because of lack of funds to employ the required number of people and monitoring equipment. I would rather see spending a greater proportion of our defence budget in this way than in developing a new generation of nuclear weapons ourselves.
The subject of the Middle East, the security of Israel, the deployment of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan was one of the subjects in the Vice Presidential debate held at 2am British time and which I stayed up to watch, I was pleased that both candidates were aware that the future of Pakistan poses greatest threat to world peace and our safety from terrorist activity, and consequently fighting the enemy when they went to Iraq and back to Pakistan is preferable from having to conduct a war within Pakistan and its nuclear capability.
Senator Palin did better than I and most neutral commentators expected. It was important to view the whole debate rather than fifteen second sound bites selected by the media. Finding neutral commentators is also difficult especially within the USA as they jockey for position and favour after the election. The idea that Senator Palin could take over as President is ludicrous and it became more obvious than before that she had been chosen by the Republican would be President as a vote winner who will be sidelined if office is gained. The idea that one wants two let alone one maverick to hold one of the most important positions on the planet is even more ludicrous. Listening to the debate what stuck me was that the best of the four was Senator Joe Biden as a man of principles but who was also capable of getting things done within the present American political system. There are two things which voters should look for when making their choice at the ballot box. The first is proven record of good character. The second is the ability to get things done. Ideologies, policies, programmes and plans are irrelevant as what ever is said has to be modified because of changing circumstances and being part of a global financial system and economy. In Britain Labour's attack on Cameron is to argue that once a Thatcher Tory always a Thatcher Tory to which he has now replied Yep and I am proud of it what is your character and principles other then to try and cling to office. A charge which I though Prime Minister Brown answered with authority and conviction. Until now Cameron has also resisted the pressure to bring forth detailed policies, or make specific commitments. The reasoning for putting the pressure is obvious. The public are tired of Labour and do not like Prime Minister Brown and the slightest failure or difficulty is being blown up out of all proportion and in the absence of detailed programmes and election commitments the only thing which can be attacked is his and his party's character, which is always a two edge sword. Cameron has shown effective ruthlessness is ending the political careers of anyone who threatens the present image of his political party. He has also presented himself as a solid family man and is travelling the Queendom engaging as much with the floating voter and opposition as he is with the Party faithful. As a consequence he is tackling the charge that coming from a privileged background he cannot know what it is like to live without up. The problem for Brown is that Cameron does not apologise for his background and appears genuine in his efforts to engage in direct communication with those who have and continue to lead very different lives. The problem of Prime Minister Gordon Brown, is that by nature he is a conviction politician who wants to translate ideas into practice and worse still for him, but far better for the country, he is weary of taking decisions which change things without understating all the potential consequences as well as seeing the forecast of possible unintentional consequences. He is no good at communicating his ideas to Joe Public and looks as if he is manufacturing an manage when he tries to do this. It is the media after all that has created the media society and I thought the best Cameron swipe of the day was to point out that Britain is a country and not a media channel. In my view if politicians showed more contempt for the media and did less going on media training course, the public would have more respect for them and more contempt for the media who on the whole are politically gutless in that few have been willing to put themselves up for political office and put themselves and their families up for public and media scrutiny.
Although it was chilly outside I decided that with the car being serviced I would sweep the floor of the garage and patio, attend to the plants and assess the need for additional spring bulbs given the increase in container space. On the way back from collecting the car I looked in at B and Q to see what was available including some autumn flowering plants but decided to return next Wednesday when a 10% discount will be available. I received two telephone calls regarding the car and then one from the GP Health centre to invite for the Winter flu jab next Tuesday at lunchtime.
For many decades I have been interested in the workings of the mind and the interaction between mind and body. The mind control all body functions as well as creating our awareness of the external world, and our inner life, from normal waking dreams to the hallucinations of disturbed minds, in some instance substance induced hallucinatory experience. This interest was aroused several times over the past few days, including in the morning. There was a radio interview with a researcher who argued that changing the sound of cooking and eating food affected our perception of the pleasures of the food. Apparently by altering the sound rather than the food we think we are enjoying some foods better and an example of this was crisps, although I although believe that the look, the packaging, and the feel are also involved.
This afternoon I watched a film called Cello and there was much cello playing to enjoy and in fairness I had read that it was a sinister frightener from Korea. Despite the language barrier it was genuine frightener with moments of horror and with a very effective twist at the end, which for once I do not reveal in this edition. The story is that of a music theory teacher who was a promising cellist before she married but no longer plays and who is confronted by a student who she failed and who now threatens to make her pay. What follows can be attributed to this student, or to the woman becoming increasingly disturbed and hallucinating, by a series of unrelated family tragedies and horrors, or by some something she did in the past. The film does not attempt to provide answers for specific events but makes the general point that what we do and in what we do not, lives with us for eternity, and that if we do bad or evil things and then run away from our action, refuse to take responsibility and face up to its social consequences, then such behaviour will affect our lives in appropriate proportion in other ways. While I have no direct experience and I appreciate there are conflicting views on such situations occur, I do believe that the human mind can create physical manifestations.
The previous day I watched the Memoirs of an Invisible Man, again, and found this concept film just as enjoyable as before. It has always been considered science fiction that someone could have a physical presence in an environment and not be seen by others in the same environment. Animals, fishes and insects have developed evolved natural coverings which help then merge into their environment in such a way that tot eh casual eye they are not recognised for what they are, and similar approaches have been used to disguise solders, and their weaponry, including craft on land, water and airspace. Why not then the human form?
I also saw part of an X files in which a combination of a chemical spay and subliminal messaging created violent, murderous and self destructive human behaviour.
I am not sure the explanation of the present financial chaos is that presented to the public by politicians a d in the media by financial and political commentators. If I was a fundamentalist who wanted to inflict my beliefs upon the world and regarded causing harm as well as death and destruction as means towards an end, then the use of the terrorist bomb is surely only one weapon, especially if I had access to unlimited funds. I would look go creating havoc and undermining confidence in those I wished to persuade or eliminate, and I would not need to signal my actions in any way. Destabilising financial systems and depressing economies is one obvious approach where the risk to ones warriors is limited, however similar to weapons of mass destruction, such an allegation and not be made unless there is the means to substantiate. I was alarmed by a couple of news reports recently which are open to different interpretations, It was alleged than Iran has been taking steps to further disguise its nuclear weapons programme and was also said to be undertaking tests which were the basis of an inter continental ballistics programme which if so has to be dealt with as strongly and effectively as possible for not to do so threatens the whole middle east and consequently the rest of the humanity. There was also a report that the UN Nuclear minority body were claiming they could not do the job required because of lack of funds to employ the required number of people and monitoring equipment. I would rather see spending a greater proportion of our defence budget in this way than in developing a new generation of nuclear weapons ourselves.
The subject of the Middle East, the security of Israel, the deployment of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan was one of the subjects in the Vice Presidential debate held at 2am British time and which I stayed up to watch, I was pleased that both candidates were aware that the future of Pakistan poses greatest threat to world peace and our safety from terrorist activity, and consequently fighting the enemy when they went to Iraq and back to Pakistan is preferable from having to conduct a war within Pakistan and its nuclear capability.
Senator Palin did better than I and most neutral commentators expected. It was important to view the whole debate rather than fifteen second sound bites selected by the media. Finding neutral commentators is also difficult especially within the USA as they jockey for position and favour after the election. The idea that Senator Palin could take over as President is ludicrous and it became more obvious than before that she had been chosen by the Republican would be President as a vote winner who will be sidelined if office is gained. The idea that one wants two let alone one maverick to hold one of the most important positions on the planet is even more ludicrous. Listening to the debate what stuck me was that the best of the four was Senator Joe Biden as a man of principles but who was also capable of getting things done within the present American political system. There are two things which voters should look for when making their choice at the ballot box. The first is proven record of good character. The second is the ability to get things done. Ideologies, policies, programmes and plans are irrelevant as what ever is said has to be modified because of changing circumstances and being part of a global financial system and economy. In Britain Labour's attack on Cameron is to argue that once a Thatcher Tory always a Thatcher Tory to which he has now replied Yep and I am proud of it what is your character and principles other then to try and cling to office. A charge which I though Prime Minister Brown answered with authority and conviction. Until now Cameron has also resisted the pressure to bring forth detailed policies, or make specific commitments. The reasoning for putting the pressure is obvious. The public are tired of Labour and do not like Prime Minister Brown and the slightest failure or difficulty is being blown up out of all proportion and in the absence of detailed programmes and election commitments the only thing which can be attacked is his and his party's character, which is always a two edge sword. Cameron has shown effective ruthlessness is ending the political careers of anyone who threatens the present image of his political party. He has also presented himself as a solid family man and is travelling the Queendom engaging as much with the floating voter and opposition as he is with the Party faithful. As a consequence he is tackling the charge that coming from a privileged background he cannot know what it is like to live without up. The problem for Brown is that Cameron does not apologise for his background and appears genuine in his efforts to engage in direct communication with those who have and continue to lead very different lives. The problem of Prime Minister Gordon Brown, is that by nature he is a conviction politician who wants to translate ideas into practice and worse still for him, but far better for the country, he is weary of taking decisions which change things without understating all the potential consequences as well as seeing the forecast of possible unintentional consequences. He is no good at communicating his ideas to Joe Public and looks as if he is manufacturing an manage when he tries to do this. It is the media after all that has created the media society and I thought the best Cameron swipe of the day was to point out that Britain is a country and not a media channel. In my view if politicians showed more contempt for the media and did less going on media training course, the public would have more respect for them and more contempt for the media who on the whole are politically gutless in that few have been willing to put themselves up for political office and put themselves and their families up for public and media scrutiny.
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