Thursday, February 21, 2008
Belgrade's burning
Well, it must make a change for the Americans to have the Christians burning down their embassy. Maybe the folk who are always complaining that the West is running an anti-Muslim crusade will get round to explaining why it is that we don't back the Serbs (with good reason, but cf. also the West's scandalous inaction over the genocide in East Timor).
Among friends
The kind of Curmudge folk who turn out to hear a lecture from the Archdruid must be 90% Grauniad and Indie readers. In other words, he was among friends - even if many of them feel he's sold out on the gay issue. As visual confirmation of this, there were some people dotted around the audience clad in orange boiler suits, who'd evidently been on an anti-Gitmo demo earlier in the day. Nothing wrong with that in itself, you just have to wonder whether any of them has ever demonstrated against terrorism.
One telling little indicator of his natural rapport with this kind of audience. One of the questions pitched at him was whether Sharia was an instance of what he'd called 'terrible religion'. He agreed that some of the ways in which it is implemented are indeed terrible - as, for instance, in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia, ally of the Evil Empire, so bash it as much as you like and collect a political brownie point. He could, of course, have cited other examples of terribleness - the Taliban, or Iran, maybe. But these are enemies of the E. E., not to mention Iran's role as sponsor of the heroic anti-Zionist resistance ('We are all Hezbollah', remember). No brownie points to be picked up there, so no name checks from the Archdruid.
One telling little indicator of his natural rapport with this kind of audience. One of the questions pitched at him was whether Sharia was an instance of what he'd called 'terrible religion'. He agreed that some of the ways in which it is implemented are indeed terrible - as, for instance, in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia, ally of the Evil Empire, so bash it as much as you like and collect a political brownie point. He could, of course, have cited other examples of terribleness - the Taliban, or Iran, maybe. But these are enemies of the E. E., not to mention Iran's role as sponsor of the heroic anti-Zionist resistance ('We are all Hezbollah', remember). No brownie points to be picked up there, so no name checks from the Archdruid.
Still alive
The masses seem to be getting impatient. Or at least two of them. Bless your 'earts, guv'nors.
So, greetings to the world from the fine city of Curmudge (from OE 'Grumpabrica'). We thank our well-wishers, and can report a generally satisfactory move. We are substantially unpacked, though the process does seem inevitably subject to the law stating that the final 10% of boxes will create 90% of the headaches.
Contact with the blogosphere has been re-established. In setting up our broadband access I suffered the mortification of realizing only several minutes into my call to the tech support wallah that I had conjured up the scary error message merely by dropping a digit when I entered my PIN. Grumpy the idiot user - oh, the shame of it! Well, such humbling experiences make for a good Lenten discipline; plus, who says us blokes no longer have a role in the home?
Anyway, back to the serious stuff. Thing is, I haven't really been able to concentrate on the news properly, so am still a little hazy about what's been going on. I did pick up on a story about my Spiritual Leader saying it's no good expecting our local Sicilians to have that warm included feeling if we don't give proper legal recognition to the cultural traditions embodied in Omertà. Or something to that effect.
Some people seem to have got their knickers in a twist over this, but they must be the ones who weren't paying attention when he was speaking. Otherwise they'd know that he was only talking about family conflict resolution and the like, all strictly subject to universally accepted human rights and nothing whatsoever to do with concrete overcoats, Gats in violin cases, etc etc. Honestly, these journalists, eh? And don't get me started on bloggers...
I'm reminded of an anecdote about the eminent Victorian theologian James Martineau. A leading light in his congregation was asked if she had understood his latest sermon. 'I would not presume to understand Dr Martineau' was her poker-faced reply. Truly, an example to today's scribblers.*
Coincidentally, I had the opportunity to experience the S. L. at a live gig last night. He delivered a lecture which resolutely avoided the topic of Omertà, but inevitably it came up when questions were invited from the audience. When it did, he basically offered a repeat of what he said in his address to Synod last week. Superficially, the stance is wryly apologetic, but the substance is a non-apology: sorry for being so clever, I should have realized that I needed to say it in words of one syllable for the benefit of those dreadful oiks in the media. And since Curmudge is of course a place where the entire pecking order is founded on perceived cleverness, he got a handsome round of applause for this. I couldn't help finding him likable on a personal level; there is a real air of holiness, and when he sticks to theology there are nuggets of genuine wisdom buried among the woolly verbiage. But I'm afraid that non-apology again betrayed the touch of intellectual arrogance complained of here.
OK, the Sun gave us the inevitable 'Bash the Bishop' headline over a picture of the S. L. next to one of a woman in a burqa. That's an easy target. But some of us have read the speech, have managed to unscramble what he's getting at, and think it's dangerous nonsense. To use an expression of which the S. L. is fond, we would like him to engage with us.
*Martineau's prose can be sampled in, of all places, one of the Jeeves stories. In fact it's the one where the demigod first makes his appearance, 'Jeeves Takes Charge' from 'Carry On, Jeeves'. 'Types of Ethical Theory', the indigestible tome foisted on Bertie Wooster by his terrifyingly brainy fiancee Lady Florence Craye, is one of Martineau's efforts. 'Quite unsuitable', thinks Jeeves, and the only thing to be said in its favour is that the prospect of being started on the 'fundamentally unsound' Nietzsche is even worse.
So, greetings to the world from the fine city of Curmudge (from OE 'Grumpabrica'). We thank our well-wishers, and can report a generally satisfactory move. We are substantially unpacked, though the process does seem inevitably subject to the law stating that the final 10% of boxes will create 90% of the headaches.
Contact with the blogosphere has been re-established. In setting up our broadband access I suffered the mortification of realizing only several minutes into my call to the tech support wallah that I had conjured up the scary error message merely by dropping a digit when I entered my PIN. Grumpy the idiot user - oh, the shame of it! Well, such humbling experiences make for a good Lenten discipline; plus, who says us blokes no longer have a role in the home?
Anyway, back to the serious stuff. Thing is, I haven't really been able to concentrate on the news properly, so am still a little hazy about what's been going on. I did pick up on a story about my Spiritual Leader saying it's no good expecting our local Sicilians to have that warm included feeling if we don't give proper legal recognition to the cultural traditions embodied in Omertà. Or something to that effect.
Some people seem to have got their knickers in a twist over this, but they must be the ones who weren't paying attention when he was speaking. Otherwise they'd know that he was only talking about family conflict resolution and the like, all strictly subject to universally accepted human rights and nothing whatsoever to do with concrete overcoats, Gats in violin cases, etc etc. Honestly, these journalists, eh? And don't get me started on bloggers...
I'm reminded of an anecdote about the eminent Victorian theologian James Martineau. A leading light in his congregation was asked if she had understood his latest sermon. 'I would not presume to understand Dr Martineau' was her poker-faced reply. Truly, an example to today's scribblers.*
Coincidentally, I had the opportunity to experience the S. L. at a live gig last night. He delivered a lecture which resolutely avoided the topic of Omertà, but inevitably it came up when questions were invited from the audience. When it did, he basically offered a repeat of what he said in his address to Synod last week. Superficially, the stance is wryly apologetic, but the substance is a non-apology: sorry for being so clever, I should have realized that I needed to say it in words of one syllable for the benefit of those dreadful oiks in the media. And since Curmudge is of course a place where the entire pecking order is founded on perceived cleverness, he got a handsome round of applause for this. I couldn't help finding him likable on a personal level; there is a real air of holiness, and when he sticks to theology there are nuggets of genuine wisdom buried among the woolly verbiage. But I'm afraid that non-apology again betrayed the touch of intellectual arrogance complained of here.
OK, the Sun gave us the inevitable 'Bash the Bishop' headline over a picture of the S. L. next to one of a woman in a burqa. That's an easy target. But some of us have read the speech, have managed to unscramble what he's getting at, and think it's dangerous nonsense. To use an expression of which the S. L. is fond, we would like him to engage with us.
*Martineau's prose can be sampled in, of all places, one of the Jeeves stories. In fact it's the one where the demigod first makes his appearance, 'Jeeves Takes Charge' from 'Carry On, Jeeves'. 'Types of Ethical Theory', the indigestible tome foisted on Bertie Wooster by his terrifyingly brainy fiancee Lady Florence Craye, is one of Martineau's efforts. 'Quite unsuitable', thinks Jeeves, and the only thing to be said in its favour is that the prospect of being started on the 'fundamentally unsound' Nietzsche is even worse.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Ken Livingstone: an apology
In commenting on the incident in which Ken Livingstone likened a Jewish journalist to a concentration camp guard, I have implied (see my comment on this post) that he would not think of subjecting a black person to a comparable insult.
It has now come to my notice that I was mistaken. This is Nick Cohen in the Observer:-
'[...] Livingstone used public money to produce propaganda against Trevor Phillips, which culminated in the mayor saying that the head of the Commission for Racial Equality would 'soon be joining the BNP', a revolting insult for a white politician to throw at a black man and one that makes a nonsense of his anti-racist postures.'
I would like to apologize to the Mayor of London for any distress caused by my error.
It has now come to my notice that I was mistaken. This is Nick Cohen in the Observer:-
'[...] Livingstone used public money to produce propaganda against Trevor Phillips, which culminated in the mayor saying that the head of the Commission for Racial Equality would 'soon be joining the BNP', a revolting insult for a white politician to throw at a black man and one that makes a nonsense of his anti-racist postures.'
I would like to apologize to the Mayor of London for any distress caused by my error.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Round things that roll along the ground 'could ease transport problems', says minister
Just time for a small discharge of irascibility on a randomly selected topic...
Would you believe it? Assessing skoolkidz through coursework encourages them to cheat.
So thank goodness Skoolz Minister Jim Knight is on the case...
"Last year, we asked the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority to look at making GCSE coursework more robust and reliable.
"As a result of the QCA's report, we will be removing all GCSE coursework from maths and stipulating that in other subjects, coursework must be supervised in classroom style conditions.
"We will work closely with teachers to develop even more effective and reliable coursework assessments."
Would you believe it? Assessing skoolkidz through coursework encourages them to cheat.
So thank goodness Skoolz Minister Jim Knight is on the case...
"Last year, we asked the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority to look at making GCSE coursework more robust and reliable.
"As a result of the QCA's report, we will be removing all GCSE coursework from maths and stipulating that in other subjects, coursework must be supervised in classroom style conditions.
"We will work closely with teachers to develop even more effective and reliable coursework assessments."
So that'll be 'even more effective and reliable' than not effective and reliable at all, then.
You get marks for coursework in maths GCSE? Since when? Why?
More about the advent of 'controlled assessment' here. It looks like we're really not that far from the scenario where you hand over your books and gizmos, sit at a desk, with Teech at the front making sure you don't talk to anyone, and commit to paper whatever you can extract from between your ears. All we need now is a somewhat snappier name for this revolutionary new approach. Something beginning with 'e', perhaps?
Saturday, January 05, 2008
Long-range forecast
The establishment is now preparing to vacate Schloss Grumpy and relocate to Dear Old Blighty. This will entail light to non-existent posting over the next month or so, I fear.
This may turn out to be the month in which Christian Aid criticizes Hamas, Rowan Williams acknowledges that the security barrier really does keep terrorists out as per specification, the World Council of Churches launches its Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Darfur, and Ken Livingstone gets round to saying 'sorry'. If so, I'll try and find time for a sentence or two. But business as usual is on the back burner for the time being.
If you fear withdrawal symptoms, dear reader, look on the bright side: you'll have more time to get to grips with David Hirsh's paper on Anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism. And once you've finished that, you might want to start on Matthias Küntzel's Jihad and Jew-Hatred: Islamism, Nazism and the Roots of 9/11, which has just picked up a prize at the London Book Festival.
PS You can read the first chapter of Küntzel's book here.
This may turn out to be the month in which Christian Aid criticizes Hamas, Rowan Williams acknowledges that the security barrier really does keep terrorists out as per specification, the World Council of Churches launches its Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Darfur, and Ken Livingstone gets round to saying 'sorry'. If so, I'll try and find time for a sentence or two. But business as usual is on the back burner for the time being.
If you fear withdrawal symptoms, dear reader, look on the bright side: you'll have more time to get to grips with David Hirsh's paper on Anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism. And once you've finished that, you might want to start on Matthias Küntzel's Jihad and Jew-Hatred: Islamism, Nazism and the Roots of 9/11, which has just picked up a prize at the London Book Festival.
PS You can read the first chapter of Küntzel's book here.
Monday, December 24, 2007
Chucking out time
A very happy and peaceful Christmas to regular, occasional and accidental readers.
If you're interested in reading a bit about what it's all about: don't go getting ideas that I'm about to follow any ex-Prime Ministerial trends, but I've been getting a lot out of Spe Salvi, the Pope's latest encyclical.
Have a good one.
If you're interested in reading a bit about what it's all about: don't go getting ideas that I'm about to follow any ex-Prime Ministerial trends, but I've been getting a lot out of Spe Salvi, the Pope's latest encyclical.
Have a good one.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Throat clearers
So, 'throat clearing' is the correct terminology for the 'legitimate security concerns, but' syndrome, courtesy of the incomparable Christopher Hitchens. Hitch's moral clearsightedness on these issues earns him forgiveness for his unfortunate religiophobic tendencies. Thanks, Paul M, for a prompt reply to my question, and a very merry Christmas from all at Schloss Grumpy and/or a deplorably belated 'happy Hannukah' to you and all who were celebrating. Please don't take that omission too personally, I only posted my Christmas cards yesterday.
It looks like being a bumper Christmas for the many Christian throat clearers, as noted by Ruth Gledhill in her Times blog (hat tip: Liz of Christian Attitudes). They even get their own special Christmas crib (complete with security barrier, but unaccountably lacking any terrorists among its dramatis personae).
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It looks like being a bumper Christmas for the many Christian throat clearers, as noted by Ruth Gledhill in her Times blog (hat tip: Liz of Christian Attitudes). They even get their own special Christmas crib (complete with security barrier, but unaccountably lacking any terrorists among its dramatis personae).
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