I never thought this would happen to me, but it has. Someone out there, in virtual reality, had the audacity to ban me from their virtual life on the net. I thought that it had no meaning, but it has. I now realise that you can ignore somebody you don’t even know exists, in the […]
Culture
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Three Colours – Blue, White, Red
And there I was, thinking that all you needed to play football for your national team was (i) citizenship, (ii) more than average skills and, (iii) to be picked by the trainer. Silly me, I must say. It was pretty much obvious that you must also be of the appropriate ethnicity, to avoid cynical remarks […]
Veganism – A Religion For Vegetables
Before you throw your pickled onions at me, let me get something straight. The last time I had a steak on my plate was about a quarter of a century ago. I’m really not into meat, anymore – apart from the odd leg of chicken. And yes, I do drink milk, eat eggs, and fish, […]
Red Alert, The Blues Should Win
It’s squeaky bum time again, in the world of football. It’s that moment when you cannot muster the courage to switch on the television set and yet, you are compelled to do so. Old wounds, that you thought had healed forever, come surging to the surface again, and open up to cause you more pain […]
The Night England Won Me Back
There used to be a time when I was an unconditional England supporter. Living in Kilburn made it that much easier to get to Wembley Stadium to watch the Three Lions play really well, or get beaten out of sight by slick Continentals. I’ve seen just about all facets of the national side, and I […]
Russia’s Fake World Cup
In the Russian town of Ekaterinburg, 14 households are currently cut off from the gas supplies for a month during the FIFA 2018 World Cup. The official reason, given by the authorities, is that the high-pressure gas supply is considered to be too dangerous during the period when the town hosts four group matches. This […]
Cultural Appropriation Is a Myth – I’m Not My Culture, I’m Me
The French and English cultures in which I grew up, influence my tastes and moral judgements. But they are not me…I am. Cultural appropriation is a myth because there is nothing to appropriate. For Tania de Montaigne, a French journalist and writer, Blacks do not exist, but blacks do. “Why the capital B?”, she asks. […]
The Art Of Censorship, And The Censorship Of Art
MENU Film producers Jafar Panahi (Iran) and Wanuri Kahui (Kenya), A lady “Blackface” who lost her heads (Réunion Island), A poem that got lost in the web, A painting that got lost in a gallery in Manchester, but found its way back. ….welcome to the world of art. [beautifulquote align=”left” cite=””]Home, Sweet Home[/beautifulquote] Iranian film […]
Brexit Musings (22) – Hegel’s Song For Europe
I’m trying to understand, and have an interest in, a European phenomenon that has withstood the test of time, in a similar fashion to the iconic Doctor Who, but one that I have no understanding of, or interest in, at all. And, before all you unconditional Europhiles take a pick at me on Facebook, let […]
May 1968 – I Love Paris In The Springtime
It may not have escaped your notice that this month marks the 50th anniversary of the riots that took Paris by the scruff of the neck. The widespread violence, of May 1968, resulted in… well not much, apart from transforming Parisian little brats, dependent on their parents’ money into… liberated Parisian little brats, dependent on […]