Category Archives: thoughts

memes, nudism, personal, photography, thoughts

Summer Dreaming Meme 2


Summer Dreaming Meme 2, originally uploaded by kcm76.

This week’s Flickr meme was to choose 12 things you would find at the beach (or round the pool). Just in case anyone thought that I thought beaches were almost entirely composed of dog crap and broken glass here is another selection to hopefully prove the contrary.

As always the photographs are not mine so please click on individual links below to see each artist/photostream. This mosaic is for a group called My Meme, where each week there is a different theme and normally 12 questions to send you out on a hunt to discover photos to fit your meme. It gives you a chance to see and admire other great photographers’ work out there on Flickr.

1. Beachgirls, 2. Top Twenty – Beach Girls #13, 3. Eyes wide shut…, 4. Smiling sister one, 5. Girl on Pattaya beach, 6. Jane Lecza (21), 7. Missing!!, 8. The blue towel…, 9. beautiful Volleyball, 10. Sandbox, 11. No Dear!, 12. beach topless 05

Created with fd’s Flickr Toys

personal, quotes, thoughts

Find …

Find a guy who calls you beautiful instead of hot,
who calls you back when you hang up on him,
who will lie under the stars and listen to your heartbeat,
or will stay awake just to watch you sleep …
wait for the boy who kisses your forehead,
who wants to show you off to the world when you are in sweats,
who holds your hand in front of his friends,
who thinks you’re just as pretty without makeup on.
One who is constantly reminding you of how much he cares
and how lucky his is to have you …
The one who turns to his friends and says, ‘that’s her.’

[Author unknown]

current affairs, freedom of speech, thoughts

Human Rights and MPs' Expenses

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Bystander, over at The Magistrate’s Blog, has posted the list of our human rights, as promulgated in the European Convention on Human Rights and enacted in the UK via the Human Rights Act 1998. This list is:

  • the right to life
  • freedom from torture and degrading treatment
  • freedom from slavery and forced labour
  • the right to liberty
  • the right to a fair trial
  • the right not to be punished for something that wasn’t a crime when you did it
  • the right to respect for private and family life
  • freedom of thought, conscience and religion, and freedom to express your beliefs
  • freedom of expression
  • freedom of assembly and association
  • the right to marry and to start a family
  • the right not to be discriminated against in respect of these rights and freedoms
  • the right to peaceful enjoyment of your property
  • the right to an education
  • the right to participate in free elections
  • the right not to be subjected to the death penalty

Nothing there which one can reasonably object to, of course. Although all these rights (with the exception of torture) are not absolutes and can be overridden by the authorities, eg. in order to arrest a suspect.

The one which stood out to me reading this was

the right not to be punished for something that wasn’t a crime when you did it

I am not a lawyer but this seems to me to negate the whole of the MPs’ expenses fiasco. What MP’s have done was (mostly) not forbidden when they did it. That doesn’t say the rules, and therefore what was done, were right, only that the rules allowed what was done. It is only now that what the MPs did is being made forbidden, retrospectively. That seems contrary to the above right.

Is that alone not grounds for a judicial review? And what is anyone therefore complaining at the MPs for?

Remember that anything not explicitly forbidden by the rules (or legal precedent) is permitted. And if something is permitted, someone will (quite legally) take advantage of it, even if that was not your intent when making the rules.

You can try arguing, as the Daily Mail no doubt will, that the MPs “should have known better”. But really this doesn’t hold water. Why should MPs be any more (or less) moral than the rest of us? They were taking advantage of the rules in good faith (even if perhaps somewhat cynically) in the quite reasonable belief that they would (could) not be changed retrospectively. We all do exactly the same every day of our lives. For example: the law allows me today to drive at 50mph along the A40; in doing so I have a reasonable expectation that I will not be prosecuted for my action today, after the limit is lowered to 40mph tomorrow.

Yes, by all means campaign for the rules on MPs’ expenses, or indeed anything else, to be changed. But don’t vilify someone for adhering to those rules just because you (retrospectively) decide you don’t like them. At worst this violates that great institution “natural justice” and at best it is contrary to our legally enshrined human rights. Perhaps the tabloid press should be prosecuted under the Human Rights Act 1998?

PS. Note that I am not saying whether I agree or disagree with the rules on MPs’ expenses. My personal opinion is of no importance here as I am making a purely logical point about my understanding of our legally enshrined human rights.

amusements, books, thoughts

Wierd Books We Have (Not) Known

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Abebooks is currently promoting some of the weirder books and literary oddities which are available. These include such delights as:

  • Ductigami: The Art of the Tape by Joe Wilson

  • The Big Book of Lesbian Horse Stories by Ailsa Surkis & Monica Nolan

  • Monk Habits for Everyday People by Dennis Okholm

  • The Great Pantyhose Crafts Book by Edward & Stevie Baldwin

  • Do-It-Yourself Coffins by Dale Power

  • and what is billed as the world’s weirdest book: Luigi Serafini’s Codex Seraphinianus

I think I’m glad I’ve managed to miss out on these, although I do have a copy of Bill Hartston’s The Drunken Goldfish. What are your favourites?

science, thoughts

Collapsing Sign Syndrome

Could it be that some signs are quantumly determined, collapsing to a state of true or false when you observe them? Based on his observations, Neill Jones thinks that it could.

He gives the example of a sign outside his house saying “No dog fouling”. Every time he has looked at it, he says, it has been true. This is also the case with another “No dog fouling” sign on a building a couple of streets away.

On the other hand, on Salisbury Plain in the south of England, where there are regular military manoeuvres, there is a sign by the road saying “Tank crossing”. This, says Neill, has collapsed to false every time he has looked at it.

There are, however, further complexities to this phenomenon. Some signs avoid a quantum collapse altogether, Neill notes. Take the “Gap ahead closed” sign he saw recently while driving up a dual carriageway (divided highway). If there was a gap ahead, he reasons, then it wasn’t closed. If it was closed, then there wasn’t a gap ahead. So the sign failed to be either true or false and was merely self-cancelling.

“Maybe I should get out more,” Neill suggests. “But then I’ll only find more signs. So maybe I should stay in more.”

[New Scientist; 22 August 2009]

beliefs, current affairs, medical, science, sexuality, thoughts

Harrah! More Please!

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There’s a wonderful article over on the BBC News site. Well the article isn’t actually wonderful, it’s pretty hack, formulaic BBC journalism about a TV show. It is the idea, intelligence, thoughtfulness and guts behind the programme which is wonderful.

The programme was on BBC3 last evening and follows a couple of teenage girls and their mums as they visit various people in UK and Netherlands so the girls can discover for themselves about whether they’re ready to lose their virginity. Clearly this had to involve a lot of very open discussion between the girls and the people they met (including a group of teenage boys who were asked some pointed questions by the girls) and between the girls and their mums. From reading the item (sadly I missed the programme) clearly the mums were struggling to cope – but cope they did and I get the impression everyone came out of it much stronger and better balanced.

But why does it need a TV programme to get people to do this? OK so not everyone will take on for themselves a 2000 mile journey. But everyone has a surprising number of local resources to draw on: parents, teachers, doctors, health workers, not to mention their friends, peers and relations. Why can’t people talk about these things? Openly? I just don’t get it. Everyone (almost) has sex in some form or another at some time. Sex is an important part of life so why not admit it and be open about it? Reading and writing are important in life and we get taught those at a very tender age, and hone our skills over many years – some more than others, but everyone improves and learns. So why not sexuality?

Hopefully this programme will be repeated, and repeated, and repeated. And used by schools. And parents everywhere. Maybe, just maybe, it will start the revolution in (most people’s) thinking about sexuality and their bodies that our society so desperately needs.

Incidentally one interesting fact which is often overlooked: Holland has the lowest teenage pregnancy rate and the lowest rates of sexually transmitted infections in western Europe. Britain has almost the highest. Despite a very open attitude to sex, teenagers in Holland start having sex on average one year later than in the UK. Why? Because the Dutch are pragmatic and willing to discussing sexuality etc. openly; they don’t treat it as dirty and hide it in the coal-shed like we do. I lived through the sexual revolution in order to do away with coal-sheds!

Parents and teenagers (even sub-teens) everywhere please note!

nudism, personal, thoughts

Figleaves or Not?

There’s another sensible item on nudity, especially as relating to one’s children, over on The Political Naturist. Here’s a taster …

For many parents, allowing a child to run around naked at home is perfectly natural, an expression of physical freedom that represents the essence of childhood, especially in the summer. But for others, unclad bodies are an affront to civility, a source of discomfort and a potentially dangerous attraction for pedophiles. […]

There is no rational reason for ordering a toddler to put on clothes. People will always tell you that it’s “indecent”, or “inappropriate”, but they cannot tell you why. It’s transference of adult shame, built up over years of cultural mores and religious teachings. […]

Around the age of 3 or 4, children begin to differentiate between what’s private and what’s public, experts say, and they usually begin to feel modesty soon after. But parents’ attitudes play the largest role in determining whether children are comfortable being naked at home … If someone has what appears to be an overly strong reaction to seeing young children running around naked, it tells us about their own hang-ups, their own inner conflicts […]

What is it about the sight of naked children which causes people to bristle and turn away? I would think most people would smile, or laugh, at the sight of children at play, clothed or unclothed. Bottling up the natural instincts of children to shed their clothes only teaches them body shame, that there is something wrong and repulsive about their flesh. Adults should not be transferring their own guilt, false modesty and irrational fears to their children. We are all born with nude bodies, we all see ourselves when we change clothes or bathe, so why is it so shocking when we see someone else’s nude body? […]

Thanks heaven for another dose of common sense. More please!

arts, beliefs, current affairs, nudism, thoughts

Nudity Does Us All Good

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Picture: BBC

I’ve written before about my attitudes to nudity and our bodies (see for instance here, here and here) and I return to the subject quite unashamedly especially as Channel 4 TV’s “Life Class” (which I admit I have not been watching) has created a bit of a backlash in certain circles. So it was good to see a couple of articles last week coming out in favour of nudity and trying, quietly and sanely, to redress the balance.

The first was written for BBC News’s online magazine by life model Sarah Snee (who is herself also an artist). The piece went under a banner Starkers for Art; here are some snippets of what she has to say:

As a student strapped for cash the allure of making money modelling for art was too much to resist. But there was another motivation – self exploration.

“I was intrigued by the idea of being naked in front of strangers,” says Sarah. “Especially at the age of 20 when you’re still getting to know your own body and developing your own sexuality. It was a very romantic idea, a bohemian idea […] My first time was daunting. I was wondering what people thought of my body. Was I attractive enough? Did my bum look big? The things most people would be concerned with.”

Despite being under the intense scrutiny of a room full of pupils, male and female, Sarah found she quickly became used to being under the artist’s gaze. “It made me feel more confident about my body. I felt liberated. I feel more self-conscious wearing a bikini on holiday with friends than I did when I was naked in front of strangers.”

“People say to me isn’t life modelling really weird? Isn’t it a bit sexual? Of course there are men who have this idea they’re all going to draw these naked women and it’s going to be thrilling […] But the artists don’t view you sexually. They see the body as a series of lines and shadows, a piece of art.”

The second piece, titled Nudity does us all good, was by Jemima Lewis in last Saturday’s Daily Telegraph. Again Jemima Lewis has a refreshingly down to earth view of nudity, and echos my view that nudity is not only normal but we would all be better adjusted if we grew up with nudity and understanding our bodies. This is (part of) what she has to say:

[…] who are these children who have never seen a naked body before? And more importantly, why not?

Going naked in front of your offspring is one of the duties of parenthood. Studies show – and common sense suggests – that children from households where nudity is commonplace grow up to feel more comfortable in their own skin. We need the background scenery of other people’s bodies – dumpy, scrawny, dimpled or lean – in order to be reassured that our own peculiarities are normal.

Especially now, when most public images of the human form are airbrushed into a preposterous lie, children ought to know what actual people look like under their clothes.

Some of my favourite memories of school feature middle-aged men and women disporting themselves in the buff. Our A-level teacher, like many artists, preferred her life models on the well-fed side, their rolls of fat allowing for plentiful chiaroscuro.

Although it is a long time since I picked up a sketchpad, those life classes, combined with the tireless domestic nudity of my parents, are proving more useful to me now than ever.

As my wife’s uncle used to say: “If you see anything God didn’t make, heave a brick at it.”

books, medical, memes, personal, photography, science, thoughts

Rites of Passage Meme


Rites of Passage Meme, originally uploaded by kcm76.

This week’s Flickr meme is about rites of passage. As some might be near the bone for some people we were allowed to choose from 20 questions; of course I’ve had to do them all (well I did write them!). So here is my somewhat off-the-wall interpretation.

1. How old were you when you were born? (No it isn’t a stupid question as some people seem to be born aged 900 and get younger as the years go by) 9224 frightens in Vogon. 1 Vogon frighten = eπi√3 Earth days
2. Who was your first teacher? Me
3. Whose was the first wedding you attended? My handkerchief (see #10)
4. Whose was the first christening you attended? (Not your own!) Mine – and yes it does count as I was 22
5. Whose was the first funeral you attended? A student drinking buddy who fell over dead in the shower one morning
6. Who was your first boyfriend / girlfriend? Sandra, when I was 8; at 11 I was stalking her.
7. Who is/was your role model? Lewis Carroll; we have 3 shared interests: photography, logic and young girls (although I like them to be of legal age!)
8. When and how were you first aware of your puberty? “Razor, meet Face. Face, meet Razor.”
9. Who or what is your guiding spirit, or inner shaman? Zen Mischief
10. Who took your virginity? Mr Dexter Hand
11. At what age did you lose your virginity? I don’t lose things; I put them away somewhere safe!
12. What was your first permanent job? (I don’t count holiday/student jobs!) Being a frightened depressed child
13. How old were you when you married (or entered an equivalent relationship)? Old enough to know better; young enough to still do it
14. Who was (or would you like to be) your Best Man or Chief Bridesmaid? Why don’t men have bridesmaids?
15. What was/would you like to be your honeymoon destination? Garden of Edam
16. When did or do you hope to retire? About 11PM tonight
17. Have you had a “road to Damascus” event? If so, what was it? Nah, that Damascus place it’s foreign innit!
18. How old will you be when you die? (Comment as for age at birth!) Senile
19. Heaven or Hell? Hell – full of much more interesting people
20. Ashes or reincarnation? Both: ashes for the body; reincarnation for the mind/soul

As always the photographs are not mine so please click on individual links below to see each artist/photostream. This mosaic is for a group called My Meme, where each week there is a different theme and normally 12 questions to send you out on a hunt to discover photos to fit your meme. It gives you a chance to see and admire other great photographers’ work out there on Flickr.

1. Baby Vogon, 2. 185/365: I’ve learned not to look too closely, she said, 3. 150. Forget Me Not by Barbara A. Malek, 4. Font, Happisburgh Church, Norfolk, 5. A full moon on the Cam, 6. I can keep a secret if you can keep me guessing, 7. SWAPBOT – QUOTE POSTCARD 21 – #1, 8. Day 226/365 My first shaving brush, 9. Zen Kitty, 10. in the palm of my hand, 11. What? No Way!!, 12. Frightened Child Turning into Angry Teen mask, 13. Keepin’ Bee Z 🙂, 14. Procession, 15. Edam – a lot of cheese 3, 16. I’m so glad I never feel important, it does complicate life!, 17. Damascus, 18. Tiny life of the White Sea, 19. Stoking the fires of Hell, 20. digital reincarnation

Created with fd’s Flickr Toys.

personal, sexuality, thoughts

Pearl Letter Day

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No, not a Red Letter Day. A Pearl Letter Day. Much better.

Earlier today I realised that today was a major milestone for Noreen and I. Some months ago we were discussing the times before we were married and trying to work out when we actually first “had it off”; we remember it well (as one would) but not the exact date. Noreen went back through her diaries to find that the relevant page was missing! But in the process she discovered that 23 June 1979 was the day she moved into the Chiswick flat with me. So today was christened “Cohabiting Day”, and it was 30 years ago today. A pearl anniversary.

The day has been celebrated in a low key kind of way. No cards, no presents, no dinner out. (Would that we had some decent nearby restaurants!) Just a normal work day, but followed by Chicken Salad à la Maison, a bottle of good white wine, a large bowl of cherries between us and a liqueur. Hic! Who knows what an early night (if it happens) might bring?!

And fingers crossed that we make our 30th wedding anniversary in early September.

It’s all a bit scary though; we’ve been married for longer than we haven’t! We still don’t know how we’ve done it. We still ask each other “How?”. And we still don’t take it for granted – which I suppose is part of the secret; it makes us keep concentrating! Even in the more difficult times there remains something magic about waking up next to each other every morning.

Oh and for the insatiably curious, the 30th anniversary of “First Fucking Day” was about ten days before last Christmas and we got engaged on 30th December – but that’s a story for another day, perhaps!

And for the even more insatiably curious, here’s a wedding photo. (I’m the plonker with the moustache! – you mean you couldn’t guess!! And best not ask about the “ear muffs”.)


Now how scary is that?!