food+drink, photography

Weekly Photograph

Saturday was the Anthony Powell Society quarterly London Pub Meet at the Audley in Mount Street, just off Park Lane. Although attended by fewer than usual we had a jolly time with the some fun and eclectic discussion accompanied by a few beers and some food. And it is the food which brings this week’s photograph for we discovered one of our number about to demolish his, rather dilapidated, chapeau.

Click the image for a larger viewPie
Well I’ll Eat My Hat
London; November 2014

Contrary to initial appearances this crust was the topping for a Venison Pie, which I was assured was excellent.
This image appears by courtesy of one Robin Bynoe, who challenged me to make it my weekly photograph.

current affairs

Long Arm of the Law

The long arm of the law is getting longer and needs to be amputated!
It has been widely reported in the last couple of days (see, inter alia, here and here) that the Government wants to abolish Police cautions and instead allow the Police to fine people directly for most minor offences.
Like many others I see this summary justice as an erosion of our liberties and another move towards a police state.
Just because, according to the Police Inspectorate, around a third of cautions are issued incorrectly doesn’t mean they should be replaced with a more draconian measure. If anything it suggests the scheme doesn’t work and should be abolished. Yes, I dislike the notion of Police cautions as a piece of instant justice as much as I do summary fines.
A Police caution still gives the offender a criminal record. However the person concerned has had no opportunity to have their side of the case properly heard, in court, as the Police are acting as prosecutor and either magistrate or judge and jury. This to me is an infringement of the justice system which is based on the principle that everyone has the right to be heard in court by their peers (either in the persons of magistrates or a jury).
And allowing the Police even greater powers to fine offenders makes that far far worse.
We know why the government want to do it. They see Police cautions as a “soft option”, which it isn’t as it gives the offender a criminal record. Moreover it will probably save money which would otherwise have to be spent on the magistrates’ courts (already severely cut back) and will likely bring in extra revenue — in the way speed cameras and parking wardens have done.
But it means that many people will accept the caution or fine — often when they shouldn’t — because they don’t want to have to go to court for whatever reason; possibly because the Police have used scare tactics on them.
Out of court disposals (by which I understand cautions and the proposed fines) are incredibly problematic in terms of giving someone a criminal record without any form of legal procedure or check and balance. Both summary fines and cautions should, in my mind, be abolished: either the offence is serious enough to put the suspect before a magistrate or it isn’t.
Instant justice like this cannot be a good thing in a democratic, supposedly free, country. It all smacks too much of the Police state!

links

Your Interesting Links

Another selection of interesting articles you may have missed.
First one for the physics geeks and anyone else who wants their head exploded … Scientists are beginning to believe that the wave function of an electron — an elementary particle — can be separated into many parts and the parts individually trapped. That has some strange implications for the theory of quantum mechanics, which is hard enough at the best of times.


But just to make it harder for you, we’re all powered by the effects of quantum mechanics. Apart from anything else photosynthesis is a quantum process. (And my PhD was on the periphery of the jigsaw of working out how photosynthesis holds together.)
Slightly more prosaically … What happens when chemists don’t wash their hands?
Next up an amazing video clip of a really bizarre fish that just doesn’t look at all real. It’s called the Smallspine Spookfish (Harriotta haeckeli).
I know many of my friends are, like me, cat lovers. If you aren’t then sorry, but all those things you say about cats are not upheld by science.
And that may well be because your cat thinks you’re a huge, unpredictable ape.
Now for more mythical creatures. Mermaids. Forget Disney, they have a murderous and sometimes sexy history.
With a quick soft shoe shuffle into the medical, almost three-quarters of Danish people want to ban male circumcision, at least under some circumstances. I’m with them on this.
You know how granny always said she could tell in her bones when it was about to rain? Well it turns out that people can feel the weather in their bones and there is now a possible mechanism.

Until the around the 16th century trade between East and West travelled overland along the Silk Road. Except it didn’t, because there was no Silk Road but a network of routes between trading posts through which goods passed.
I’m not sure if this next story is going to be scoop of the century or conspiracy theory of the decade. One scholar is suggesting that many of JS Bach’s finest works were composed by his wife Anna Magdalena. It all sounds a bit fishy, but then again …
Now one for the linguists amongst you. Minna Sundberg has drawn a most excellent linguistic family tree.
Now we’ll quickly slide into something foodie … First up here’s an interesting history of vanilla.
Brains — Eyes — Tripe … Have you ever thought about what foods you and your friends don’t like to eat. Here’s a look at some of those foods people seem to find terrifying … and it is in large part down to “innards and slime”.
On the other hand if you like onions and garlic here’s an interesting look at why they’re quite so pungent — plus a recipe for Brimstone Tart.
Staying with plants and the outdoors, there is a suggestion going round that the whole of London should be designated a National Park. And yes, although it is a very urban environment it isn’t such a crazy idea.
Almost last, here’s a good one for all of you who like travel and especially those who go to dodgy places on dodgy airlines. Welcome to Air Koryo.

And finally one for those of you with children who are trying to think about what they want to do … What would you like to do if money were no object? Because it is a good way to focus your thoughts, and you probably can do it! I wish someone had challenged me with this!

music, words

Word: Baryton

2 Comments

barytonBaryton
A bowed string instrument of the 18th century, similar to the bass viol, but having sympathetic strings on the rear of the fingerboard.
According to Wikipedia:
The baryton can be viewed as a sort of augmented bass viol. It is similar in size to the latter instrument and likewise has six or seven strings of gut, arranged over a fretted fingerboard and played with a bow. The instrument is held vertically and is supported by the player’s legs …
The baryton differs from the bass viol in having an additional set of wire strings. These perform two functions: they vibrate sympathetically with the bowed strings, enriching the tone, and they can also be plucked by the left thumb of the performer, creating a contrasting tonal quality.
According to the OED, the name of the instrument is a loan word from French baryton or Italian baritono, and ultimately derives from Greek bary- + tonos ‘deep-pitched’.

environment, links, ramblings

Coming up in November

Here’s my selection of events, celebrations and customs that are happening during November.
[Reminder: These listings contain an eclectic mix of anniversaries, historical events, red letter days and upcoming “awareness events”, mostly UK-centric. My rules for the inclusion of awareness events are that they must not be medical, nor aimed specifically at children, nor too obviously purely commercial; and they must have a useful website.]
1 to 30 November
National Novel Writing Month. Can you write a novel in a month? That’s the challenge for all the budding authors out there. The idea is to write your 50,000 words in just thirty days. More information, hints, tips and events over at http://nanowrimo.org/.
1 November
London (Regent Street) Veteran Car Concours. If you’re in central London on this day you’ll find many of the cars taking part in the London-Brighton Veteran Car Run on display in Regent Street. And some may even be limbering up around the West End. So take your camera and keep your eyes open. Basic evnet information at www.classicshowsuk.co.uk/classic-car-show-event-information/classic-car-show-by-date.asp?id=515.


2 November
London-Brighton Veteran Car Run. This is reportedly to be the longest running car event in the world and ranks as one of Britain’s biggest motoring spectacles. It attracts entrants from around the world, all eager to take part on the first Sunday in November. Only cars built before 1 January 1905 are eligible to take part so this is a fine spectacle of early automobile engineering. More details at www.vccofgb.co.uk/lontobri/.
5 November
Guy Fawkes Day when the UK celebrates the defeat of terrorism by the foiling of Guido Fawkes’ 1605 plot to blow up King James I along with the whole of Parliament. The celebration is traditionally marked with bonfires and fireworks, much to the annoyance of most of our pets. Many places have their own special Guy Fawkes celebrations, including Tar Barrel rolling at Ottery St Mary, Devon and Lewes Bonfire Night in East Sussex.
8 November
Lord Mayor’s Show. Held on the second Saturday in November, this is the pageant to accompany the inauguration of the new Lord Mayor of the City of London. Along with the usual plethora of floats there are military bands and pikemen in gaudy medieval dress.
9 November
Remembrance Day. The UK’s annual commemoration of those lost not just in WWI and WWII but in all wars.
11 November
Martinmas, the Feast of St Martin of Tours, is a time for feasting celebrations — much like American Thanksgiving — and in many places another bonfire festival. Traditionally at this time the autumn wheat seeding was completed and there was the annual slaughter of fattened cattle and swine which could not be kept through the winter. Historically, hiring fairs were held where farm labourers would seek new posts.
29 November to 7 December
National Tree Week is the UK’s largest tree celebration and launches the start of the winter tree planting season. It is also a great chance for communities to do something positive for their local treescape. Full details at www.treecouncil.org.uk/Take-Part/National-Tree-Week.
30 November
On this day in 1934 the Flying Scotsman was the first steam locomotive to exceed 100 mph.

amusements, ramblings

Rolling Geriatrics

This is such a wonderful picture! The Rolling Stones at the Adelaide Oval preparatory to recommending their Australian tour. Just which geriatrics home have they been let out of for the day?


Mind, they’ll probably still be going strong long after me!