personal, thoughts

More thoughts on "Me Too"

Earlier today my friend Katy (@thevoiceofboo) retweeted Louise O’Neill (@oneilllo):

Men who choose to respond to the emerging stories of sexual harassment with “But I’m not like that” are the embodiment of a patriarchal society that teaches straight, white men to believe that their experiences alone are the most valid and important.

That may indeed be so, but look at the other side of the coin. If I say “But yes, I am like that” I get vilified. Men have been put in a lose-lose situation (yes, OK, by their own stupidity), so no wonder some are pissed off and feel hunted.
I know there have been times I’ve overstepped the mark, either physically or verbally. I can call a handful to mind, but no doubt there are others I’ve forgotten. I can’t find the right words to describe how I feel about this, but they include: sorrow, mortified, distressed, depressed, demoralised, upset, worried and fearful.
This is despite, right from my teen years, having a personal code of conduct that I don’t touch people (especially females) and I’m very circumspect about saying anything – which is why, girls, you won’t generally find me complimenting even your attractive frock. I’ve spent my life being almost afraid, certainly too insecure, to engage with females on anything but a very superficial, purely business, level. There are very few I have known well enough to even begin to rise above this level; one reason, no doubt, why I’ve never had very many girlfriends.
To give you an example, at a fairly innocuous level, of how insecure this made me feel … If, at work, I was lunching alone in the restaurant and there was a group of female colleagues I knew already at a table, I would never join them (unless they spotted me and beckoned me over). I always felt that to do so would (potentially, at least) be imposing myself into their possibly girls only conversation and that this was inappropriate. I had many fewer qualms about joining an equivalent group of guys.
And yet I can still do stupid things, at least on an odd occasion – in spite of being able to think about these things and remaining vigilant.
But the sad thing is, I suspect, that the vast majority of blokes, who don’t think and drift through life relying on their Neanderthal instincts, are just going to say “Err … Yer wot? … Fuck off” and carry on regardless; probably despite wondering why they feel that womankind is against them, which just reinforces their attitude.
It’s all very sad.

amusements, personal

Ten Things

We’re returning to our normal, fairly run-of-the-mill themes for this month’s Ten Things.
Ten Things which should be Large

  1. Pine trees
  2. Steaks
  3. Mugs of tea
  4. Gin & tonic (well, at least the gin should be large!)
  5. Joints of meat
  6. Beds
  7. Tax rebates
  8. Lottery wins
  9. Bouquets of flowers
  10. Bottles of Champagne
amusements, beliefs, personal

Five Questions, Series 10 #1

So here we go with the answer to the first question in Series 10 of Five Questions.

★☆☆☆☆

Question 1: What is the nature of the universe? Does it function by itself or would it degenerate into chaos without some kind of intelligent control?

As a scientist, I tell you: We haven’t got a clue; it’s being worked on although we don’t believe in intelligent control (or intelligent design).

As a (sort of) vaguely Buddhist-cum-Taoist, I tell you: No-one has a clue, nor ever will have.
As an “ordinary Joe” in the street, I tell you: Nothing the fuck to do with me, mate.
So yeah, basically, search me!

amusements, personal

Five Questions, Series 10

2 Comments

It’s around six months since we had a round of Five Questions. So here’s a new series, Series 10, of five variously daft and thought provoking questions. Yes they range from the interesting to the downright crazy.

★★★★★

The five questions for Series 10 are:

  1. What is the nature of the universe? Does it function by itself or would it degenerate into chaos without some kind of intelligent control?
  2. What determines the fate of each individual?
  3. Do illiterate people get the full effect of alphabet soup?
  4. Why don’t sheep shrink when it rains?
  5. How would you describe yourself in three words?


As last time, I will post answers on a regular basis, because I’ve drafted them all already and they’re lined up ready to go – although I may rewrite them along the way!
As always you’re invited to join in – I’d like it if you did! You can either answer the questions, as I answer them, by posting in the comments or by posting your answers on your own blog (in which case just leave a comment here so we can find your words of wisdom). Of course you can also leave comments violently disagreeing with me – that’s good too as long as you’re not abusive.
The answer to Question 1 should appear in a few days time and then they’ll be every few days through to the end of the month.
Enjoy!

amusements

Auction Odities

We’ve not had a collection of oddities from our local auction house recently as the sales over the summer have been relatively ordinary. But I’ve kept the best from the last two which together with the current sale make an impressive selection of lots, both weird and wonderful. My heart sinks when I read “An interesting lot …”, “A charming …”, “A spectacular …” or “etc.” in a description! And so much just provokes the reaction “Why?”.
As usual each of these items is a single lot and the text exactly as in the auction catalogue.
A calendar illustration in watercolour for the month of August, featuring a ghillie and his laird atop a white fell pony, in the round
Eleven 20th century oils, mainly unframed, including a woman on a bench signed Kamen, two studies of naked men, a small portrait, Anthony and Cleopatra signed Jack Leslie, etc.; together with a framed woodcut, two unframed watercolours, and a reproduction print of an erotic female in two parts
A large chunk of amethyst crystal, decoratively mounted with miniature metal figures of miners, a donkey, and a ladder


A charming brass-framed glazed miniature display cabinet, containing six Volkstedt porcelain figures of gambolling cherubs …
A rare fuel gauge housing from a DH4 Liberty bi-plane, now silver-plated as a photograph frame …
Three decorative wooden cars, a collection of religious items including crosses and figurines, Egyptian figurines, decorative tray, a small quantity of brassware, a stein etc.
A large wicker hamper, a Moet & Chandon top hat ice bucket plus another similar, a Sundridge fishing rod, a red vintage telephone, a wind up gramophone to be restored, a table top spinning wheel and a violin etc.
Ten vintage leather baseball gloves dating from the 1930’s onwards
A large ornate didgeridoo
A wooden inlaid fire screen, a pair of mounted buffalo horns and an oval shaped bevelled glass mirror
Four decorative vintage gnomes – two modelled as planters
A turn of the century mounted servants bell board and a WW2 gas mask
A large solid block of beeswax
Two heavy duty camera cases, two garden ornaments of a hare and a frog, a silver plated photograph frame and golf balls
Miscellanea, including a tambourine, draughtsman’s set, Victorian jigsaw puzzle, Mauchline ware box, anniversary clock, two smoothing irons, dominoes, etc.
Five decorative scatter cushions and three angel doll candle holders
A spectacular modern Indian silver sculpture of Michael Jackson, standing with arms raised on hexagonal base inscribed with his name and dates “1958-2009” picked out in gold, the underside inscribed “Commissioned by Hobd/Ref 0912002/Made in India/House of Billa Dhand/T999”, height 54 cm, presumed 999 pure, approximately 125 ozt, with fitted box
A collection of 21 African carved wood masks in various sizes, together with a pottery seated figure in pre-Columbian style
Three cameras comprising a Zeiss Ikon Cronos, a Kodak Kodan and a Kodak Brownie, an Italian red glazed table lamp and ashtray, a WW1 riding crop, two copper and brass horns, a Picqout ware tea service on tray, an Imari bowl, a metal and leather chess set and board, an AA car badge, a quantity of books and a vintage tape recorder etc.
Two Victorian ladies’ writing [sic] crops, one with gilt-metal dog-head finial, the other silver-mounted
Two large African carved wood figures, one in apparently European clothing, the head indented to form a bowl … the other of a woman with baby
A pair of Yoruba carved wood fertility stools, 39 cm high, and two pairs of Ibeje figures, 35 and 26 cm, the smaller with bead and fibre clothing
A late Victorian Derby porcelain yellow-ground jar gilt with foliage, together with two painted miniature birds, probably in bone with wood stands, and a plastic kangaroo
A magnificent Japanese carved bone sword of impressive size, decorated overall with warriors and formal ornament, Meiji period, 132 cm long
Four 19th Century heavy copper frying pans and a heavy copper saucepan by Smiths Matthews, Bloomsbury, a roll of bits, a 19th Century winder, a quantity of vintage tools including a spoke shave, a canal art watering can and a quantity of new French door handles
Six western cowboy hats including two black felt by Resistol and MHT, two tan suede by Romero and The Outback Hat, and two straw

A Mamod steam-driven Edwardian model fire engine
Two handsome vintage soda siphons one with gold mesh cover, three antique wooden planes, a vintage German mincer, two wood and brass magazine racks and a novelty miniature gramophone
A Novum sewing machine a wood and brass set of scales, a silver plated sugar casket, a Spong mincer and music stand

history, links, medical, natural history, science, sexuality

Your Interesting Links

This month’s large collection of articles encountered which you maybe didn’t want to have missed.
Science & Natural World
First off we must pay our respects to this year’s IgNobel award winners amongst whose investigations were solid and liquid cats, didgeridoos and cheese disgust.
Budburst on many trees is temperature dependent and March temperatures seem to be the key for many. And they’re getting slowly warmer, so budburst is getting earlier.
[Disclosure: I’ve been submitting records to UK phenology research for many years; many more years that the 17 covered by this research. It takes little time and is valuable “citizen science”.]


Another curiosity of British wildlife is that some birds (notably Great Tits, above) are evolving longer beaks as this gives them an advantage at garden bird feeders. Here are two complementary reports, one from the Guardian, the other from the BBC.
Now to chemistry … A look at how poisoners could use clothing as a murder weapon.
The aliens are coming! Well maybe not quite, but there is a mysterious object speeding past the sun which could be visitor from another star system.
Health & Medicine
For those who want a little more of a challenge than normal (it contains some relatively simple maths), here’s a very good article on why vaccination is important in preventing epidemics.
Sepsis is a hidden killer, and one which most people know nothing about because it has so successfully continued flying under our radar.
There’s a small study which suggests that the psychoactive drugs in magic mushrooms “reset” the brains of depressed people. [Do NOT try this at home! The study used very controlled doses in a medical environment.]
And now to some curiosities … First off, and not for the squeamish, an historical report of a man with two penises and two bladders.
Synaesthesia is mind-boggling. The first of our two mentions this month is of a woman who lost her sight due to illness and in regaining it had some terrifying sounding synaesthetic effects.
And to boggle the mind even further, this young lady has a range of different types of synaesthesia (compared with the normal one). I just cannot imagine what this is like!
Sexuality
Two different aspects of a relationship without sex. First there are people who are genuinely asexual: they may have romantic partnerships but have no interest or desire to have sex.
At almost the other extreme there are couples who, while still happy together, just stop having sex.
Social Sciences, Business, Law
Forensic science is coming under increasing scrutiny. Not only has fingerprinting never been scientifically evaluated for its reliability, but DNA is accused of frequent flawed techniques, which can have devastating effects.
Language
Philip Pullman is under fire because his children’s book La Belle Sauvage is littered with swearwords. Emma Byrne in the Guardian suggests this is actually a good thing: most children already know the words and isn’t it better that they learn in a controlled way when they are and are not acceptable?
History, Archaeology & Anthropology
Uncovering the menus for Neolithic man’s feasts: pork and cheese.
The Incas were far better astronomers than previously thought.
The shipwreck which produced the Antikythera mechanism is still turning up interesting artefacts like the bronze arm which suggests there may be a haul of statues waiting to be found – and what may be another piece of the Antikythera mechanism itself.
Why do a number of Scandinavian Viking graves contain burial clothing embroidered with the work “Allah”
But worse is yet to come, for the Vikings may have brought leprosy to this country via their trade in red squirrels.
Coming much more up to date, both sides are now telling the story of the capture and boarding of the German U-boat U-559, which changed WWII by giving the Allies the Germans’ Enigma codes.
So how about a list of the ten best railway stations in Britain, at least according to Simon Jenkins in the Guardian.
London
IanVisits is writing an occasional series on “Unbuilt London”. In an old post he looks at the 1960s plan to replace buses with monorail network. I have a vague memory of this hare-brained scheme.
And here is a really fascinating and detailed map of the London Underground, Overground, DLR, Tramlink & National Rail (small section below). But why does this have to be published by a French company?

Lifestyle & Personal Development
Our favourite Soto Zen master, Brad Warner, reflects on “The Center of All That” the implications of being you, here.
We’re losing our skills. The skills to do everyday chores our parents took for granted, like washing up by hand, changing a mains fuse or sewing on a button.
A brief look at some of what happens behind the doors of a London crematorium.
I wasn’t sure whether to put this next item here or under medicine. According to sleep scientists we are chronically underslept and sleepwalking our way through life. That is a real threat to our health, and it isn’t fixed by a couple of good lie-ins. So what to do about it?
Apparently our culture says that emotional friendships are a female thing and that boys cannot have emotional friendships with their own sex and are discouraged from doing so by the time they hit puberty. And this is forcing a large number of men into loneliness despite the outward appearances. [OK, it’s American, but is UK culture so different?]
People

Back in August Geoff Marshall (no relation)and Vicki Pipe completed their challenge to visit all 2,563 National Rail stations in Great Britain. Here they talk about the experience for the National Railway Museum’s blog.
That’s all folks! Another instalment next month.