Books are important (encourage your kids to read)

How does one justify one’s existence and make it worthwhile for oneself and others? A question we all should seek an answer to in this life. Well it’s been said that the answer is …. Art, Love and the pursuit of knowledge!! Let me talk about the art side on this post, more specifically the narrative arts, this is primarily books but also movies and theatre, both of which I have reviewed in previous posts which I have also done with certain choice books. So what do books (movies and theatre) have to do with moral life? The answer is that the acquaintance with literature (and the arts) enlarge ones insight into the human condition, and thus serves as a powerful adjunct to promoting sympathies and empathies which are the necessary basis for morality. The argument is as follows, wee jimmy will act in ways which recognise, and are sensitive to wee Jennies interests, only if he is able to grasp how things are for wee Jennie, and understands why the matter to her; and, further, recognises that things being that wat for Jennie makes a claim on some of his own attitudes and behaviours. Any Jimmy’s gaining access to Jennies perspective on life this demands a degree of sympathy. But when Jennie’s interests and aims lie outside the normal range of Jimmy’s experience his ability to sympathise Jennie’s concerns enough to be considerate about them in relevant ways, will require his to see beyond his normal usual range. Most people can learn about the needs and interests of others by extrapolating from their own experiences and from their observations from people around them, but if these were the only resources for insight, the scope of an individual’s sympathies would be limited. And this is were narrative arts are important. Exposure to narrative arts overcomes this limitation; Its enormously widens an attentive vicariously, or as a fly on the wall witness- to see into lives, conditions and experiences which we may never encounter in practice. The extension and education of sympathies is therefor the basis for richer moral experiences and more refined capacity for moral response.

3 best Movies and their plots

Here are the plots of my 3 favourite movies, be careful ....contains spoilers :-) It’s a wonderful Life (this one will most certainly be on the TV around xmas) On Christmas Eve 1945, in Bedford Falls, George Bailey is suicidal. Prayers for him reach Heaven, where Clarence Oddbody, Angel 2nd Class, is assigned to save George in order to earn his angel wings. To prepare, Clarence is shown flashbacks of George's life. The first is in 1919, when 12-year-old George saves his younger brother Harry, who falls through the ice on a frozen pond, from drowning; George loses his hearing in one ear as a result. While working after school at the local drug store, George sees that his employer, Mr. Gower, has accidentally added poison to a prescription drug, and intervenes to stop it from causing harm. On Harry's graduation night in 1928, George talks to Mary Hatch, who has had a crush on him from an early age. They are interrupted by news of his father's death. George postpones his travel plans in order to sort out the family business, Bailey Brothers' Building and Loan, a longtime competitor to Henry F. Potter, the local banker and the richest man in town. Potter wishes to dissolve the Building and Loan to take over its business. George convinces the board of directors to vote against Potter. They agree, on condition that George runs the business, along with his absent-minded uncle Billy. George and Mary get married. On their way to their honeymoon, they witness a run on the bank and use their holiday savings to lend financial support at the Building and Loan until the bank reopens. Over time George establishes Bailey Park, a housing development with small houses financed by loans from Bailey Building and Loan, which allows people to own their own homes rather than pay rent to live in Potter's overpriced slums. Potter, frustrated at losing control of the housing market, attempts to lure George into becoming his assistant; George is momentarily tempted, but rejects the offer. During World War II, George is ineligible for service because of his bad ear. Harry becomes a Navy pilot and shoots down a kamikaze plane that would have bombed an amphibious transport; he is awarded the Medal of Honor. On Christmas Eve morning 1945, the town prepares a hero's welcome for Harry. Uncle Billy goes to Potter's bank to deposit $8,000 for the Building and Loan. He brags to Potter about Harry; the banker angrily grabs the newspaper, inside of which is the $8,000 – unbeknown to Uncle Billy. Realizing the potential scandal would lead to the Building and Loan's downfall, Potter secretly hides the money, knowing its loss will lead to severe financial problems for the Building and Loan. When Uncle Billy cannot find the money, he and George frantically search for it. When the bank examiner arrives to review their records, George berates his uncle for endangering the Building and Loan, goes home and takes out his frustration on his family. He apologizes to his wife and children, then leaves. George desperately appeals to Potter for a loan. When George offers his life insurance policy as collateral, Potter says George is worth more dead than alive and orders a warrant for his arrest. George gets drunk at a local bar and is involved in a fight, before he leaves and goes to a nearby bridge, thinking of suicide. The film's narrative catches up to the time of the opening scene. Before he can jump, Clarence dives into the river just before George does, causing George to rescue Clarence rather than killing himself. George does not believe Clarence's subsequent claim to be his guardian angel. When George says he wishes he had never been born, Clarence decides to show him an alternate timeline in which George never existed. Bedford Falls is named Pottersville and is a less congenial place. Mr. Gower has recently been released from prison for manslaughter, because George was not there to stop him from putting poison in the pills. The Building and Loan has closed down, as George never took over after Mr. Bailey's passing. George's mother does not recognize him; she reveals that Uncle Billy was institutionalized after the collapse of the Building and Loan. In the cemetery where Bailey Park would have been, George discovers the grave of his brother. Clarence tells him the soldiers on the transport all died, as Harry was never there to save them, as George had never saved Harry from drowning. Mary never married; when George says he is her husband, she screams for the police, causing George to flee and the local policeman to give chase. George, now convinced that Clarence is really his guardian angel, runs back to the bridge and begs for his life back; the alternate timeline changes back to the original reality. George runs home to await his arrest. Mary and Uncle Billy arrive, having rallied the townspeople, who donate more than enough to cover the missing $8,000 and for Potter's warrant to be torn up. Harry arrives and toasts George. A bell on the Christmas tree rings, and his daughter recalls a story that says the sound means that an angel has just earned his wings, signifying Clarence's promotion. City Lights

The Little Tramp first meets the Flower Girl, and discovers she is blind when she cannot find a dropped flower. That evening, the Tramp runs into a drunken millionaire who is attempting suicide on the waterfront. He takes the Tramp back to his mansion and gives him a change of clothes. Early the next morning, they return to the mansion and encounter the Flower Girl on route to her vending spot. The Tramp asks The Millionaire for some money, which he uses to buy all the girl's flowers and then drives her home in the Millionaire's car. After he leaves, the Flower Girl tells her grandmother about her wealthy acquaintance. When the Tramp returns to the mansion, the Millionaire has sobered-up and does not remember him, so he has the butler order him out. Later that day, the Millionaire meets the Tramp again while intoxicated and invites him home for a lavish party. The next morning, having sobered again and planning to leave for a cruise, the Millionaire again has the Tramp tossed out. Returning to the Flower Girl's apartment, the Tramp spies her being attended by a doctor. Deciding to take a job to earn money for her, he becomes a street sweeper. Meanwhile, the grandmother receives a notice that she and the girl will be evicted if they cannot pay their back rent by the next day, but she hides it. The Tramp visits the girl on his lunch break and sees a newspaper story about a Viennese doctor who has devised an operation that cures blindness. He then finds the eviction notice and reads it aloud at the girl's request. He reassures her that he will pay the rent. But he returns to work late and is fired. As he is walking away, a boxer persuades him to stage a fake fight, promising to split the $50 prize money. Just before the bout, however, the man receives a telegram warning him that the police are after him. He flees, leaving the Tramp a no-nonsense replacement opponent. Despite a valiant effort, the Tramp is knocked out. Sometime later, he meets the drunken millionaire who has just returned from Europe. The Millionaire takes him to the mansion, and after he hears the girl's plight, he gives the Tramp $1,000 to give to the girl for her operation. Unbeknownst to the Millionaire and the Tramp, two burglars were hiding in the house when they entered. Upon hearing about the cash, they knock out the millionaire and take the rest of his money. The Tramp telephones for the police, but the robbers flee before they arrive, and the butler assumes he stole the money. The Millionaire cannot remember the Tramp or giving him the $1,000. The Tramp narrowly escapes and gives the money to the girl, saying he will be going away for a while. Later, he is arrested in front of the newsboys who taunted him earlier, and he is then jailed. Months later, the Tramp is released. Searching for the girl, he returns to her customary street corner but does not find her. With her sight restored, the girl has opened up a flourishing flower shop with her grandmother. When a rich customer comes into the shop, the girl briefly wonders if he is her mysterious benefactor. But when he leaves with no acknowledgement, she realizes again she is wrong. While retrieving a flower from the gutter outside the shop, the Tramp is again tormented by the two newsboys. As he turns to leave, he finds himself staring at the girl through the window. His despair turns to elation and he forgets about the flower. Seeing that he has crushed the flower he retrieved, the girl kindly offers him a fresh one and a coin. Embarrassed, the Tramp tries to shuffle away, but the girl stops him and hands him the flower, which he shyly takes. When the girl takes hold of his hand to place the coin in it, she recognizes the touch of his hand and realizes he is no stranger. "You?" she says, and he nods, asking, "You can see now?" She tearfully replies, "Yes, I can see now", and holds the Tramp's hand close to her chest. Tearful and elated, the Tramp smiles at the girl shyly as the film fades to black. Dogfight (its very difficult to get a hold of this DVD, especially in the UK with region 2)

The first portion of the film is set on November 21, 1963 (the day before President John F. Kennedy was assassinated). Birdlace and three of his Marine buddies have arrived in San Francisco for twenty-four hours, before shipping off to Vietnam, and are planning on attending a "dogfight" (a party where Marines compete to bring the ugliest date, unbeknownst to the girls they bring) later that evening. They separate into the city to attempt to find dates. After a few women reject his advances, Birdlace ducks into a coffee shop, where he encounters Rose, a waitress, on her break, practicing her guitar. She is not particularly "ugly", but rather plain, shy and awkward. Birdlace attempts to charm her, complimenting her on her guitar playing, and inviting her to a party. She is suspicious of his motives, but decides to accept his invitation. While walking to the bar where the party is to be held, Birdlace begins to have second thoughts about playing such a cruel trick on Rose after realizing she's not ugly enough to compete, and attempts to talk her out of going in. However they encounter one of Birdlace's buddies and his "date" in front of the bar, and so he has no choice but to proceed with Rose into the dogfight. Birdlace proceeds to get drunk, presumably feeling guilty. Shortly after, Rose convinces Birdlace to dance with her, though at first he resists because he knows that's where the dates get judged. The alcohol and dancing eventually make Rose feel dizzy, and she rushes off and ends up getting sick in the rest room. Rose does not win the dogfight; Marcie, the date of Birdlace's friend Berzin, is the winner. In the ladies' room, it is revealed that Marcie is actually a prostitute whom Berzin has hired (which is a violation of the rules of the dogfight) and clues Rose in to the true nature of the party. Rose is devastated, tears into Birdlace, and then storms off. Birdlace immediately regrets having treated Rose so cruelly, and chases after her. He convinces her to let him buy her dinner, in an attempt to make it up to her. After dinner, the two walk to a club where Rose hopes to perform soon, and then to an arcade. Birdlace is surprised to find himself enjoying spending time with Rose, so much so that he forgets that he was to have met up with his three buddies at a tattoo parlor where they were to get matching tattoos to solidify their friendship. Rose tells Birdlace about her dream to become a folk singer, and he reveals to her that he will be shipping off to Okinawa the following day, and from there on to "a little country called Vietnam," he hopes. She offers to write to him, and asks if he will write back. Birdlace walks Rose home, and they share an awkward moment on her doorstep, before she hesitantly invites him in. They attempt to talk, but end up engaged in a self-conscious yet endearing sexual encounter. As he is leaving at dawn, Rose gives him her address and asks him to write. Birdlace meets up with his buddies, where they board their bus. Birdlace makes up a story that he did not show up because he spent the night with the beautiful wife of an officer. Berzin later shares with Birdlace that he saw him with Rose; Birdlace counters that he is aware that Berzin's "date", Marcie, was actually a prostitute. They agree to keep one-another's secrets, as Birdlace tears up Rose's address and throws it out the window of the bus. Rose is then shown with her mother, weeping and watching coverage of President Kennedy's assassination on TV. The film then cuts to 1966, where Birdlace and his three friends are shown in Vietnam. They are playing cards and trying to pass time, when they are suddenly mortared. The scene descends to chaos. Birdlace is then shown getting off of a Greyhound bus in San Francisco. Discharged from the Marines, he is walking with a limp (presumably from his injuries from the explosion), and it is suggested that his three friends were all killed. He is taken by how much things have changed in the three years since he was last there, with hippies and flower children everywhere. He walks to the neighborhood where Rose's coffee shop is, and goes to a bar across the street to have a drink. The bartender tells him that Rose's mother has turned the coffee shop over to Rose. He then makes his way across the street and into the coffee shop. Rose, not having heard from him in three years, is surprised to see him, and can only say "hi". She walks over to him, and they fall into an ambiguous embrace, as the film ends.

Reading

To read is to fly, it is to soar to a point of vantage which gives a view over wide terrains of history, human variety, ideas, shared experience and the fruits of many inquiries. It's our duty to install this passion of reading in our children. Keep them away from these game consoles. A reader lives a thousand lives. Many novels aspire to do nothing more than just amuse us but even then they have their place, we still have the opportunity to consider our own experiences then see them mirrored from other angles in the books we read. Refracted in different guises that society perhaps forbids us to take. A extension from the limited personal experiences and what we know from our own immediate circles, in the pages of a book we can empathise, love, hate and fear but know once we close that book we have escaped the situation. Novels disclose differing worlds, much deeper than we can ever venture in our own existence. We exercise our sympathies and other emotions beyond our sphere of our day to day humdrum life. We look at the paths we never took without the consequences we would face if we did.

Reading promotes insight into ourselves and others. The better the novel the richer the possibilities, the more dimensions of pleasure we experience.

To my son I say never stop reading, go on that adventure with Gangster Granny, ride of that giant peach with James, walk though the halls of Hogwarts with Harry, just never ever allow anyone to tell you to stop, always be a reader. Joy, sadness, heart break or your lowest ebb, books will never let you down, will never disappoint or reject you.

Birthday cake for my son

Today I made a Birthday cake for my son Sam who turns 13 on Saturday I choice to make a dense fruit cake with glace cherries and sultanas with lemon peel and a dash on cognac (the alcohol will burn off during baking) I then prepared a fondant icing which I dyed blue which is his favourite colour. Its lactose free and with the very minimum of gluten. Ingredients 250g Lactose free butter, softened 250g light muscovado sugar 1 level tbsp ginger 1 level tbsp ground cinnamon Finely zested rind and juice of 1 lemon and half orange 300g coconut flour (asda) 1lbs packet dried mixed fruit 1 x 170g packet Glace cherries and 1 x 170g packet sultanas ¥6tbs oak aged fine Cognac 20cm round cake tin or 18cm square, lined with baking parchment, or 2 x 1 litre ovenproof pudding basins, well buttered and floured Method To ensure that the cake will be central in the oven, position a shelf just below the centre. Set the oven to 140°C/275°F/Gas Mark 1. In a bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, ginger, cinnamon and orange and lemon zest until light and fluffy., adding a little coconut flour until all mixed. Beat in the orange and lemon juice. Fold in dried mixed fruit and cherries Spoon mixture into the prepared tin or bowl, level the surface, and smooth with a wet hand. Place the cake in the centre of the oven. Round and square cakes take about 4-4½ hours, and basin cakes take about 3-3½ hours, or until firm to the touch in the centre and a skewer comes out clean after being inserted into the cake. Place the tin/basin on a wire rack to cool for about 15 mins. Spoon over the Cognac Let round or square cakes cool completely in their tins, but turn the basin cakes out on to a wire rack to cool. I then spread on strawberry jam to help the icing which I am about to apply stick down.

For the Fondant icing I use sugar, water and cream of tartar, which are boiled together until the syrup reaches what is called soft ball stage (when a spoonful of the sugar syrup is dropped into a bowl of cold water and forms a soft ball when rolled between the fingers). The mixture is kneaded into a smooth dough, then I add the blue food dye, knead more then roll out flat and cover the cake cutting the excess off. I then finished by putting some popping candy around the cake. A little writing on the top with icing and one birthday cake made. The only tragedy is I won’t see him to give him it due to a certain situation but Sam is in my thoughts and heart always and I made this cake with love for him. HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAM Daddy loves you Son

Book Review: Nutshell by Ian McEwan

Time for another book review, I am certainly getting through these books nowadays, and Nutshell by Ian McEwan is about 200 pages long so it’s easy to crack with one good sitting, reclined on the sofa and reading lamp on, this is exactly what I did at the weekend.

Nutshell is told from the perspective of an unborn boy. This young tot spends his time listening. He listens to conversations going on around him and he listens to podcast lectures, self-improving audio books and the BBC World Service. This is why he has an impressive word range that would put most grown-ups to shame. “When I hear ‘blue’, which I’ve never seen, I imagine some kind of mental event that’s fairly close to ‘green’—which I’ve never seen. . . I am, or I was, despite what the geneticists are no saying, a blank slate. But a slippery, porous slate no schoolroom or cottage roof could find use for, a slate that writes upon itself as it grows by the day and becomes less blank.” The idea of the fetus who learns to think, philosophize and even scheme by listening in to his mother's radio, I found extremely funny, even though entirely unbelievable. I had to keep looking up obscure words (looking them up on my Iphone sitting by my side), which was amusing as well, coming from a pre-nate... There is a gripping story line and some interesting characterization going on in the 'real world', and some powerful thoughts about the absolute vulnerability of the unborn baby to the behavior of the adults in its life, including the effects of drink and sex, and the relative importance of mothers and fathers. I think it's a great book if you can take it as largely a joke making some serious points. It is basically Shakespeare’s Hamlet retold from the womb and really well done in my view. I would recommend this book if you fancy something light to pass a rainy night in as I did one weekend evening in Falkirk in the company of a bottle of wine…..really enjoyable.

Book Review: Why Orwell Matters

I am a massive fan of George Orwell both as a writer and a socialist/humanist so I may be somewhat bias with any book about him, especially as I am also a huge fan of the writings of Hitchens too. This is quite a short, light read, perfect for anyone who has not experienced Orwell before but would also be great as a starting point for new students of the author.

Hitchens does have a certain literary style which you will experience in his writings here, especially if you are familiar with his other works (my favorite being God is not great) The subject of the book is of course Orwell, Born Eric Arthur Blair, George Orwell created some of the sharpest satirical fiction of the 20th century with such works as Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four (which you can also read about in a previous post of my blog). He was a man of strong opinions who addressed some of the major political movements of his times, including imperialism, fascism and communism. Orwell is best known for two novels, Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four, both of which were published toward the end of his life. Animal Farm (1945) was an anti-Soviet satire in a pastoral setting featuring two pigs as its main protagonists. These pigs were said to represent Josef Stalin and Leon Trotsky. The novel brought Orwell great acclaim and financial rewards. In 1949, Orwell published another masterwork, Nineteen Eighty-Four (or 1984 in later editions). This bleak vision of the world divided into three oppressive nations stirred up controversy among reviewers, who found this fictional future too despairing. In the novel, Orwell gave readers a glimpse into what would happen if the government controlled every detail of a person's life, down to their own private thoughts. Doe’s Orwell Matter? Well I agree with Hitchens that he does. Hitchens does a good job in showing how Orwell's uncompromising belief in liberty and equality (expressed very clearly in "Animal Farm" and "Nineteen Eighty-four") offended those on the left who refused to accept that Stalin's USSR violated those ideals big-time. And he also shows that while right-wing thinkers endorsed (some of) Orwell's principles, they could not claim him as one of their own. Orwell remains a towering figure on the libertarian left, despite some odd foibles such as his slightly questionable attitude towards Jews and gays. Its an enjoyable enlightening read and at 200 pages its not too taxing, I certainly recommend it to everyone. To quote a sentence from the back of the book by Hitchens “I sometimes feel as if George Orwell requires extracted from under a pile of saccharine tablets and moist hankies” and its my opinion Hitchens does exactly this in his book.

Café Andaluz

Café Andaluz is part of a chain of Spanish eateries with branches across Scotland. I had a visit one Saturday lunch time to their Edinburgh city centre base, with opulent Moorish-style décor of dark woods, mosaic tiles, large vases and even a statue of a bull about to charge, aims to transport you to a tapas bar in Southern Spain. The menu is extensive and includes popular dishes such as tortilla española, honey and mustard chicken, or their meat, fish, shellfish or seafood paellas (for two) remain.

Unsurprisingly, there’s a mixture of tapas staples – calamari are good with a twist of chorizo mayonnaise, pimientos de padron (small green peppers with sea salt) are moreish and tasty, and their churros (hot doughnut sticks with a hot chocolate dip) look delight although I missed out of desert this time as I was full but I shall remember to leave space next time.

Cafe Andaluz is quite deceiving – from the outside the restaurant looks small and cafe like but I was shocked as to how big and spacious it was inside. I loved the décor –bright and funky colours and each table has its own separate booth with plenty of space for you and your dining partner. I really enjoyed the Tapa there and would certainly recommend the place.

Book Review: The Remains of the Day

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro won the Booker Prize in 1989. It remains one of the 20th century's most critically acclaimed novels and was adapted into a film starring Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson, nominated for 8 Academy Awards in 1994. The novel is very absorbing, beautifully composed, moving, and deep. The novel is narrated by an elderly butler on a road trip in the 1950s. He reflects on his life, and his strive for professionalism and 'dignity'. The characterisation is so complete that when I think of the narrator, Stevens, I think of a person rather than a character. The Remains of the Day is a novel about the nature of relationships: professional, personal, and, almost existentially, with oneself. It has glittering moments of humour which made me laugh out loud. And it has moments of remarkable tenderness – which are almost painful to read – and moments of morality and politics which provide genuine food for thought. The character, Mr Stevens in this novel muses on his past life. It is fair to say that Stevens has spent most of his time building barriers between himself and others. His entire reason for living has been to serve Lord Darlington, who we gradually realise, is undeserving of such utter loyalty. Meanwhile, his feelings for Miss Kenton, and hers for him, are poignantly revealed. Kazuo Ishiguro is a genius of an author and much of the substance of this outstanding novel lies in what he doesn't say (or write), as much as what he does - an almost impossible task for any other author. His gentle unveiling of the absurd posturing of Stevens, his inability to deal with either his own, or others, feelings, his sad regret, and Miss Kenton's attempts to breach his defences are heart rending.

Kazuo Ishiguro is an amazing writer, I started this book immediately after finishing his more recent novel, The Buried Giant which I have also reviewed on this blog. Next up I will be reading his “The Unconsoled” which I am looking forward to immensely. Ishiguro was born in Nagasaki, Japan but was raised in the UK since the age of 5. The Japanese are popularly believed to live in a society hamstrung by rigid social conventions and politenesses, and I love the fact that here a British writer of Japanese descent manages to skewer the absurdities of our class system so well

Dinner at Wahaca in Edinburgh

Yesterday evening after my work I went into the town (Edinburgh) and had dinner with a friend at Wahaca on South Street beside St Andrews square. We, by luck attended on the opening night and after a brief wait for a table the pager we were handed started buzzing and flashing to indicate our table was ready so with drinks already in hand we were sat at an upstairs table. We were next to a metal pillar which had a metal arm sticking from it with a very bright bare light bulb shinning at head height, somewhat distracting but perhaps authentic Mexican style if you were in Guanajuato being interrogated by the Police. This would be my only complaint to what was otherwise I decent experience.

Wahaca is a UK fast food chain selling Mexican food, co-founded by Thomasina Miers, with 19 branches. The founder, Thomasina Miers was a Masterchef winner (2005) who also has a cookery book published (called Wahaca) There recently was a food truck parked in St Andrews square playing live music and giving out free tacos are certain times, it had the “Wahaca’s” logo so can only guess this was a taster of Mexican street food before the opening of their restaurant yesterday. The menu is very extensive and reasonably prices. You can get lots of small dishes and sample loads of different tastes (we had 7 different dishes and were stuffed by the end of the night) We had the following … Pea and Mint Empanada, Taquito Sw P (don’t ask), Ancho Taco, Devon crab and MSC shrimp taquitos (my Fav), Chick Tost CM, Lamb Taquito and Bean + Rice…. All nice and beautifully presented. There is also 3 different bottles of sauces on the tables, one is smoky chipotle salsa, the other two I can’t remember offhand but one was extremely hot.

There is also a novel way of paying the bill there by downloading an app, entering your card details, reviewing the details, adding a tip if deserved then paying online there at the table, Wahaca wi-fi available if you don’t have a 3G signal. All paid and you just get up and walk out, no waiting for your bill to arrive. From what I have read, Wahaca restaurants is designed to have as low an environmental impact as possible. All ingredients used in the restaurants are sourced as locally as possible or transported with care for the environment. Where specialist ingredients have to be delivered from Mexico, the approach is to buy direct from local co-operatives that support local farming communities which is all very commendable.

Book Review: 1984 by George Orwell

Not only is this book a gripping read through it's language and characterisation, but it also serves as a real-life warning against the dangers of dystopian societies powered by relentless and blinding idealogy (Scottish Nationalist’s take note). Orwell 's novel should be read by all who live in free and democratic societies, and should also strike anyone who happens to praise communism as a form of benevolant ruling clueless. What is even more remakable is that Orwell latched on to the unspeakable evil of Stalin and his pathetic ideology long before anyone else in thw world. Orwell was rightly disgusted that Stalin was held in high regards among the intelligentsia of wartime Britain (his other work, Animal Farm, was refused publication several times). Yet in the final years of his distinguished life, he was able to produce this mastery of political literature, which to be understood completely, must be read in conjuction with the political happenings of the time. The context/background of this work is the key to Orwell's themes. Re-reading this again about 20 odds years after I first picked it up when I was about 19, the strength and power of this novel surprised me all over again. There is so much truth in here about politics, exaggerated of course this is no precise prediction of the future. However, parallels in our own society of the totalitarian world of Big Brother are all to apparent As the protagonist, Winston Smith is an unlikely hero. Thirty-nine years old, frail, and plagued by ill-health, he inwardly rebels against the totalitarian and brutalised system that represses the central tenets of man's basic freedom. His acts of rebellion appear to be rather sparse, if not pathetic. Writing in a diary, wandering through the "prole" areas, hiding away in a small alcove where Winston in unable to be seen by the telescreen - however, in the eyes of Big Brother, this is a monumental act of "thought crime". His covert affair with a fellow Party worker, Julia, and his frequent attempts to unravel the enigma that surrounds Inner Party member O'Brien come to characterise all that Winston can accomplish in terms of organised opposition to the rule of the Party. Orwell's narrative techniques and grim political satire combine to form a warning of a very real danger - a danger that was so thankfully eliminated from this Earth at the demolishing of the Berlin Wall. The story is set in London, in a nightmarish 1984 that for Orwell might well have been a possibility, writting as he was many years before that date. Or maybe, he was just trying to warn his contemporaries of the dangers of not opposing the Soviet threat, a threat that involved a new way of life that was in conflict with all that the English held dear. Orwell tried to depict a totalitarian state, where the truth didn't exist as such, but was merely what the "Big Brother" said that it was. Freedom was only total obedience to the Party (SNP thoughts come to mind again), and love an alien concept, unless it was love for the Party. The story is told from the point of view of Winston Smith, a functionary of the Ministry of Truth whose work involved the "correction" of all records each time the "Big Brother" decided that the truth had changed. The Party slogan said that "Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past", and they applied it constantly by "bringing up to date" the past so as to make it coincide with whatever the Party wanted. From Winston Smith's point of view, many things that scare us are normal. For example, the omnipresence of the "Big Brother", always watching you, and the "Thought Police" that punishes treacherous thoughts against the Party. The reader feels the inevitability of doom that pervades the book many times, in phrases like "Thought crime was not a thing that could be concealed forever. You might dodge successfully for a while, even for years, but sooner or later they were bound to get you". Little by little, Winston begins to realize that things are not right, and that they should change. We accompany him in his attempt at subversion, and are unwilling witnesses of what that attempt brings about. This book is marked by hopelessness, but at the same time it is the kind of distressing book we all NEED to read... Why do we need to read "1984"?. In my opinion, basically for two reasons. To start with, Orwell made in this book many observations that are no more merely fiction, but already things that manage to reduce our freedom. Secondly, and closely linked to my first reason, this is a book that only gets better with the passing of time, as you can read in it more and more implications. One of Orwell's main reasons for writing this "negative utopia" might have been to warn his readers against communism, but many years after his death and the fall of communism, we can also interpret it as a caution against the excessive power of mass media, or the immoderate power of any government (even those who don't defend communism). Technological innovations should be at the service of men, and allow them to live better lives, but they can be used against them. I guess that is one of Orwell's lessons, probably the most important one. All in all, I think you can benefit from reading this book. Because of that, I highly recommend it to you :)

Book Review- The Buried Giant

The Buried Giant By Kazuo Ishiguro

This book is primarily about the relationship between a man and a woman at the end of their lives. It asks questions about love and what brings people together. However, it is also a story about a dragon slayer and, almost as an aside, the difficulties of hostile populations living together and the tragedies of memory. Whilst th author Ishiguro has written books with science fiction-fantasy elements before, most notably in Never Let Me Go, The Buried Giant caused something of a stir when it was first published, as it is out and out fantasy. There are no blurred lines. You can't call it magic realism. It's not speculative. It's fantasy. Whilst the labeling of novels can be helpful, particularly if you own a bookstore, they can also be misleading and used as a way to pigeonhole, denigrate, or ignore a novel's worth. Define a novel as "genre," and it is all too easy to dismiss. Conversely, labels can over-inflate opinion. Calling a novel "literary fiction" adds gravitas. The Buried Giant destroys the myth of labels. It contains many tropes associated with the fantasy genre--a quest, knights, ogres, and dragons--but it is also a work of rare beauty. A novel where every word has been weighed before use. The result is a story filled with layers and multiple meanings that might just be a work of genius. The Buried Giant feels like a work of early fiction. A fairy tale filled with allegory, one shade away from oral storytelling. It recalls The Canterbury Tales, Don Quixote, and above all, The Death of King Arthur. (Arthur is named-checked a couple of times and Sir Gawain is a principal character--a nod to Professor Tolkien, perhaps?). The setting is Dark Ages Britain. A time of myth and superstition. Even moving from town to town brings a sense of mystery and foreboding. Villages of "Britons" lie close to newly forged Saxon settlements. Distrust exists between the indigenous (my word) population and the new arrivals. Mistrust is in the air. The real-world parallels here are obvious. This is not a traditional fantasy setting, which tends to feel like heroic quests in agricultural northern Europe. Instead, Ishiguro's Britain feels like an agoraphobic's worst nightmare. Above all, though, The Buried Giant is a quest story. Axl and Beatrice set out to visit their son, who left many years ago, and now lives in a settlement several days away. The couple are old, their usefulness to their community on the wane. One senses this is to be their final journey. Much like the Wizard of Oz, they meet people on the way, travelling the same road, who join their quest. They journey with a young boy cast out from his village, a formidable Saxon warrior, and the ageing Sir Gawain, one of the few remaining Knights of the Round Table. As the journey unfolds, a sense that all is not right gradually seeps into the tale. Most notably that memories are hard to keep a hold of. Nobody can remember very much other than shadows of the past. The prose is spare but beautifully constructed and, unlike most genre fantasy novels, there is little embellishment of the details. Like many fables and legends, The Buried Giant is laden with allegory. There are myriad interpretations and real-world parallels. Themes of loss, acceptance, and the dangers of ignorance bubble to the surface again and again. The Buried Giant examines human nature, most particularly our inability to learn from the past. Closed-minded attitudes, superstition, and fealty to outmoded, incorrect assumptions seem reasonable when placed in the Dark Ages. Yet, transpose these attitudes to the 21st Century, which I believe Ishiguro intends us to do, and they begin to look like willful ignorance. There were places where I worried that The Buried Giant's delicate confection was going to fade away into nothing. The middle section left me restless, but as the novel moved into the final third, towards its devastating conclusion, I was gripped. On finishing, I was left wrung-out and overawed. The Buried Giant is no swords and sorcery epic, but a novel of rare and delicate beauty. Fantasy in setting, mythic in tone, but relevant to today, with a deep emotional resonance, I doubt I'll read a better novel this year.

mini trip to Deutschland

Recently I had the good fortune to be invited by an old friend for a visit to Frankfurt in Hesse Germany, a place called Offenbach, quite a large urban area. It was a short notice trip for a long weekend so I had to book a flight for the next day, check my passport was up to date and pack a carryon bag with a change of clothes. My friend presents a TV arts and travel show based in Frankfurt so the offer of free accommodations and a sleep on the most comfortable sofa I have ever laid my head on in a beautiful skyline apartment with a view of the Rhine was too good to refuse. I was struggling to get a flight directly to Frankfurt Main from Edinburgh at such short notice so had to travel via Brussels (booked via Brussels Airways but it was actually a Luthansia jet) After an early Saturday morning flight from Turnhouse, 2 hours stop over in Brussels where I had just enough time to enjoy some Flemish Carbonades and a beer before flying off again to Frankfurt Main.

View From departures in Brussels

Customs and security at Frankfurt was a breeze and soon I was on my way to Offenback in the train getting off at the Marktplaz and speaking to some very friendly Germans who spoke perfect English and took time out to give me directions. Got to my friend’s apartment where I had a welcomed shower, changed my clothes and then was taken out for my dinner and a little taste of Offenback’s nightlife. Although in Germany we eat at a Mediterranean restaurant called Oveelos where I had some Greek food for my first time, it was delicious although I don’t think I will even try to describe it.

The night club was a Cuban place called Schlachthof which is translated into Slaughterhouse apparently but it was really nice and I had a couple of Cuba Libras to build up the courage to try the dance floor. City tour booked for the next day so back “home” to get some much deserved sleep on the sofa.

The tour the next day was really nice, and with an English translator was excused my ignorance. I saw the Schuhmuseum although it did feel slightly rushed, also a German Micro Brewery which was very interesting. I also saw the Town Hall where there is also a book burning memorial, a sad remembrance of the censorship of Nazi Germany.

My highlight was visiting St Bartholomew, better known as the Kaiserdom, the Imperial Church which was the site for elections and coronations of the Holy Roman Emperor for centuries. It was truly awe inspiring and a sight to behold, I would go back to Frankfurt again just to revisit this amazing place. I had planned to see the Eschenheimer Turm which is a guard tower from the city's outer defensive wall, built early 1400's, but never had enough time as had to get back to the apartment, get a bite to eat and go to the theatre.

My friend took me to Shauspielfrankfurt Theatre driving to the Städtische Bühnen area. We saw Königin Lear (queen Lear) which was a ultra-modern take on Shakespeare King Leer set in what I believe to be the present time or near future, well I would love to give my review but to be honest…I never understood it much and ultra-modern is not really my thing but I really enjoyed the evening, the show was very visual and we had front seats (a freebee) Afterwards we had dinner in Frankfurt and after a couple of German Beers I was ready to hit the sofa, get my head down and prepare to fly off the next day home to Edinburgh (via Brussels again) Wish I could have stayed longer, it was short notice, thanks very much to my friend for being a good guide, allowing me to crash out on her sofa and for seeing Königin Lear, much appreciated and you are always welcome to crash out in my spare room next time you are in Scotland, perhaps see if Lady MacBeth in on at the theatre ;-) Really nice weekend, met very nice people and saw some lovely sights, drank some nice beer, eat some good food and danced my own brand of Cuban Salsa (please forgive me Germany) Now back in Bonnie Scotland and preparing for my trip now to London.

A.C. Grayling and 17th Century Thinking

Recently in Edinburgh I attended a lecture given by Professor Anthony Clifford Grayling. A.C. Grayling is a prominent British philosopher, a first Master of New College of the Humanities and a Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck, University of London, where he taught from 1991. He is also a supernumerary fellow of St Anne's College, Oxford. He has also wrote over 30 books and contributes to lots of magazines. He is also Vice President of the British Humanist Association. His main academic interests lie in epistemology, metaphysics and philosophical logic

During this lecturer he was discussing the changes the 17th Century made to the human thought process. It's premise is simple enough: that during the seventeenth century the basic paradigm governing intellectual thought made a shift from being medieval, magical, and religious-based to being more modern, rational, and secular-based, as Prof Graying said, at the end of the 17th century when you looks up at the stars in the sky at night your perception of them would have been different from looking up at them at the start of that same century. Grayling also spoke about and particularly focusing on the period of the Thirty Years War. There are reasons for this, as the Thirty Years War began primarily as a rupture between the Catholic religion and the newly forming Protestant (i.e. Calvinist and Lutheran) religions, and he contends that it was this rupture in religious thought, and the devastation wrought by this long and bloody war, that first created the opening for modern secular thought to develop, a tremendous shifting of thought and ideas. He also spoke about the trial of Galileo by the Roman Inquisition and the fear that that generated in Roman Catholic countries almost put a halt to scientific inquiry in Catholic countries for a century, particularly in Italy(Galileo would have been killed / burned if he hadn't recanted, This is one orf the most terrible examples of the Church's reliance on biblical literalism to invoke an earth-centered world at Galileo's trial was a shameful example of religious doctrines used to stifle scientific inquiry) Grayling's point is that Protestant England and Holland represented the leading edge of the modernist, democratic movement in Europe. Once could also argue that the 18th century, the Age of Enlightenment, or the 19th century, the century of progress and industrialization, were centuries of equal or greater change, both intellectually and socially, but then that is why we have historians to debate these merits and fascinate us with their arguments. If you would like to learn more about the thought process of A.C. Grayling which I truly believe leads to a more calmer understanding of the world, our place in it then I would recommend you start by reading “Thinking of Answers” or his equally thought provoking “The Challenge of Thing” (also “The God Argument” for some secular thinking) After Grayling’s lecture I had a chance to meet him, a quick chat and got him to sign my book, I got him to make it out to Sam, my clever 12 year old son who I hope will one day progress from David Walliams to such works of importance as these. Professor Grayling is a Gentleman (as well as a scholar) and it was a pure joy talking to such a genuine man.

Hydroponics

Allow me to introduce you to my latest .... a little hydroponic Garden I am growing in my office on my desk...

This is a wee soil-free indoor garden using water that grows plants 5 times faster than soil. For my first attempt I have planted a selection of Herbs (seeds) Thai and Genovese Basil, Mint, Dill, Coriander and parsley.

The extendable canopy above the planted herbs has growth lights which are on an automatic timer for 18 hours on each day, there is also a water pump which churns the water (which i add nutrients to) 5 minutes in every hour. Although I have chosen herbs for my first attempt I am planning on little patio tomatoes next and maybe a little miniature fruit.

I am very curious how this will take and hope to add more photos in a couple of weeks of my new office desktop garden thriving and loads of basil of my pestos and mint for my mojitos Update.....11th May...3 weeks hydroponic growth

Update.....20th May....4 weeks and 2 days of hydroponic growth The growth is rapid now, the roots in the tank are massive and intertwined so impossible to lift pods out to display root growth, they are sucking up the water like a sponge now and I need to top with the water tank almost daily

Haunted House

Last week I installed some Cameras around my house, security being the main purpose but also so I am monitor my african grey parrot (Rocky) and also my home from any where I am such as from work as an example. The Cameras also have an infrared facility too which makes it possible to see around the house in pitch dark, great for when I am in bed and hear a creak or a bump during the night down stairs but I am too lazy to investigate so I can just pick up my mobile phone and scan around the house to ensure everything is secure and ok. I have been a little freaked out recently by when seems to be "flying orbs" captured by the camera during the night in pitch dark.

Some of my friends have attempted to give explanations such as "floating dust" but this does not seem possible by the movement, the orbs sometime float in the air for "zoom" around at speed but would give some credence to another theory of it being a moth just caught out of focus, but.... I don't see any moths in my house and I have used a blue light insect killer but nothing.

This does creep me out.

Orbs are a phenomenon that have been captured with the introduction of digital cameras in the 1990’s. They were first thought to be malfunctions by the camera makers but to this day the manufacturers claim these “orbs” to be microscopic particles floating in the air. Orbs have been accepted, certainly in the psychic community, as real evidence of spirit presences whereby they are supposed to represent the essence, or soul of a departed spirit now to quote something I read recently online about orbs... "Some spirits don’t like their photos to be taken believe it or not and they are suspicious of photography. Although spirits may have passed over sometime, they can be afraid of our technologies because they inhabit a world similar to the conditions they lived in when they were on earth, that is their, a copy of their own reality which they are comfortable living in. For example, a monk who lived in monastery can be quite happy to still live in that monastery which to him is still like it was when he passed over, but he would live on in the etheric side or the physical double of everything created on earth. It may be destroyed on our side, but the etheric double stays intact. So while a monk lives in his world he would not understand any of our new technology as he still living a simple live and maybe believes that our technology is the work of the devil. He may be dead for hundreds if years, but as time does not exist in the afterlife he may think he has been dead for only a few years or less. Although he knows that there is another reality, our reality impinging on his “spirit” reality, he is perfectly happy to carry on his existence in the monastery. We can sometimes see him moving out of his reality if the right conditions exist and thus a “ghost” appears." Now I am more of a realist and don't go in much for the supernatural and believe most things can be explained by science but this is giving me the willies.

and check this one out....top righthand corner...

well at least Rocky my parrot does not seem phased by the all and continues to achieve a good night sleep :-)

Ham(mer) Time

On Friday night it was a "dine is valhalla" dinner carving open a sumptuous 7 kilo Serrano ham.

This beautiful leg of pork in from a pig which grazed in the La Garrotxa Volcanic hills of the rich fertile Catalonian countryside in Spain roaming around eating acorns and natural foods. This roaming freedom in such a perfect climate which produced one happy piggie who was kind enough to allow me to have his tasty leg for my dinner last night (and for the next couple of weeks) served with Alioi garlic sauce, sun ripened tomatoes mashed with olive oil, oat cakes (the scottish addition) and olive infused bread with a nice red wine.

The ham had been coated with salt before being left to cure for 14 days protecting the joint from moisture then the salt is scraped off and the leg is hung in a cave for a minimum of 6 months to mature and develop its fabulous flavour.

I also had to get a wooden ham holder (Jamonera) to allow it to be carved into slices at the table

The rump (Maza) is sliced into thin strips (sharp knife required and some skill which I hope to master over the next few dinners severing this) slices from the shank (Jarrete) will be cut and used for a good stew, maybe a feijoada for another dinner soon. The underneath bottom cut called the "punta" is very strong and can be used for curing. The top front (contra) is the narrowest piece and usually the most flavoursome.

A meal fit for a king (even a Henry the eighth) and could feed a rugby team with plenty left overs. well I know what i will be having for dinner again tonight :-)