My Little Cleaver

I live in the old English university town of Cambridge. Along the river Cam, are some of the most beautiful old buildings in Europe. A trip I never tire of is a punt ride down this river, from which vantage point, the buildings are perhaps best admired. Far from the traffic, the lapping of water against the side of the boat as one drifts past the colleges that have stood there for so long has a deeply calming effect.

This is indeed a venerable ’seat of learning’. Great men and women have studied, researched and taught here for centuries. Many students have gone on to become world leaders or captains of industry. The feeling of proximity to the ‘corridors of power’ is tangible.

Yet on a trip to town on Monday, it was all to easy to forget this side of Cambridge. Read more »

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Last night I spent the evening watching the tube. November 13, and already TV ads are working their dreadful sorcery. An endless list of gift options and food and drink items for the feast, now a mere 6 weeks away, are paraded before hapless viewers.

Why does this still affect me? Its not that I want to rush out and buy all this crap, but rather that I feel guilty because I don’t want to. The arch winks and sly grins of a high sheen cast of glamour cats and kittens, would have me give in to their blandishments and START SPENDING MONEY!! Read more »

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A long time ago, someone for the first time drew a line in the sand and indicated that everything their side of the line was theirs. And thus was the first border created. So began the long human history of border disputes, fights and wars.

From determining which part of the vegetable patch was whose, the use of borders grew to define first villages, then cities, and eventually countries and empires. However, one fundamental objection remained unanswered.

How can anyone claim exclusive ownership of even a grain of sand? Read more »

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I watched the above this morning, and loved it, but by the end of it my chuckling was a little hollow. If George Carlin was right, and it is very tempting to believe he was, then there is no hope whatsoever of changing or influencing the status quo. In worldly terms, our predicament is hopeless. At best we are doomed to be, as John Prine once sang, ‘…happy sailors dancing on a sinking ship…’

This got me pondering the nature of hope. Read more »

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In these times of easy travel, there is an unstoppable tide of ‘migrants’ heading for our materially blessed lands. They come from parts of the world with a daily diet of poverty, despair, violence and death. They are attempting to do what the bravest of us would do in their place. Against overwhelming odds, they want to escape a terrible life, to create a good one. They are our brothers and sisters.

Yet in every developed country, armies of angry, frightened citizens focus on protecting themselves rather than helping those in need.

The French authorities have undertaken to close down the ‘jungle’ of makeshift shelters and tents affording temporary homes for migrants around Calais. Where do they expect them to go? All this guarantees is that their miserable lives will be made even more difficult.

It fits in with a pattern of persecution of the less fortunate by governments everywhere. If you vote and pay taxes you must be protected from those that dont.

Heres a personal message to ALL world leaders. There is only one GOD, and you are not it. ALL God’s creatures are equally entitled and deserving of your respect and care. As long as you are protecting the ‘greedy bastards’, you are one of them. A greedy bastard, that is.

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I became aware yesterday of the stand-off brewing in the US concerning Healthcare Reform. Today I heard from my American son in New York who is just finishing up his last year of training to become a doctor.

I wont pretend to be sufficiently knowledgeable to explain what is happening. However like you, I can glean an impression from the deluge of reporting and comment we are being inundated with. Its not a pretty picture.

The basic right, within what is still the wealthiest nation in the world, of every citizen to have access to basic health care, is still being denied. It is being discussed again, thanks to President Obama’s current initiative to implement some major policy changes. What are the chances of success? Read more »

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