WHAT ATTRACTED YOUR ATTENTION TODAY?

[Tizer]

A bit of tolerance needed?

An increasingly rare commodity these days!

[Tizer]

An article by journalist Janice Turner caught my attention. She works hard to counter all the misinformation about gender and sexuality that's promoted in the media. We've got to the stage where people believe that they can change their sex simply by, for example, a man saying `I'm a woman'. Also she gives the example of a school teaching children that `there are more than 100 different genders'. Kids are troubled enough without being told silly ideas like this. Biology is being ignored. But it's all part of the populist explosion where people ignore facts and believe what their echo chamber, social media, tells them.

[Stanley]

In days gone by leisure time was filled by 'finding something to do', we had all been educated to think that doing nothing was not a good option. So we did things like playing out, reading and later on going to night school or something similar. Now all people have to do to fill idle hours is reach for the tablet or phone and dive into social media where there is some good stuff but there is poison as well. Entering disputes is one way to get attention and the more vitriolic it is the more 'followers' you get. It's got to the stage now where you can make money by being an 'influencer' and you can see this happening even in vlogs that used to be purely instructional. It's such a powerful medium and I am afraid is open to abuse. One of the easiest fields to enter is gender, race is another one, make your own list. I see that Mary Portass has moved on to be a 'style guru', it used to be shopping, she's a good example.
This also explains why the media is infested with 'pundits'.
"pundit (n.) 1670s, "learned Hindu," especially one versed in Sanskrit lore, from Hindi payndit "a learned man, master, teacher," from Sanskrit payndita-s "a learned man, scholar," of uncertain origin. Broader application in English is first recorded 1816. "
We have debased the original meaning, many 'pundits' are anything but learned and scholarly.
Later, only a small thing but as I prepared my carrots I noticed one was actually four carrots in one. I have never noticed this before.

[Stanley]

I'm not sure whether I am being elitist or arrogant when I think about the tone of many of the vox pop interviews we see and hear nowadays. All right, I acknowledge my antipathy towards blind support of the government, I can't do anything about that except recognise my own bias. But my unease applies to other subjects, not necessarily connected with politics. We have mentioned the problems with gender debate, the same syndrome can be found on anything from climate change to veganism. Air time is given to simplistic views that have no basis in science let alone truth.
It worries me, but I think it's part of the way our modern media works in its search for controversy and easy headlines and I will have to get used to it!

[Stanley]

How nice it is to be on holiday from hospital appointments until January at least! One of the drawbacks of old age is that you spend more and more time in medical facilities! I shall just enjoy being free for a while and feeling so well.

[Cathy]

[Stanley]

Thanks Love.....

[Tripps]

I've been looking at the Tory conference from Manchester. I knew the building it's being held in as British Rail's Central Station. It doesn't look a lot different from those days (1950's). We are first world, and repeatedly told we are the 5th / 6th biggest economy in the world.

Doesn't look like it from there.

In the same news page I'm told that the Thais are thinking of moving their capital from Bangkok, due it being overcrowded. The accompanying aerial photo was one of a very impressive 21st century city.

There's no direct connection, and buildings aren't everything, but that's what caught my attention.

[Stanley]

That quote always grates with me as well David. If that's true why do we have hungry kids? I think of that every day...

[chinatyke]

That quote always grates with me as well David. If that's true why do we have hungry kids? I think of that every day...

Look at America, said to be the world number 1 economy. 50 million in poverty with a few million of those in deep poverty. 'Without Social Security more than half of all Americans aged 65 and over would be in poverty.'

Source

Frightening statistics.

[Stanley]

The arrival of a bulky envelope from Ireland. It was a 1957 copy of 'Mechanics' sent to me by Bodge. He had found it at an auction and thought of me. Nice! I have read every word and the adverts, I love these old publications, they inform exactly what interests and attitudes were....
Pure gold for a social historian.

[Stanley]

My Lobb shoes are back home.



A very impressive job. New midsole and sole and heel. Backs relined and other small faults rectified. They will last me out now! Ilkley Shoe repairers are highly recommended. Good cobbling!

[Big Kev]

20191002_163420.jpg

Sold subject to contract, hopefully it'll all stay on track this time...

[Wendyf]

[PanBiker]

Good Luck Kev.

[chinatyke]

Well done, Kevin.

[chinatyke]

One of my private students has just turned up at our door with a present of 2 huge plucked chickens. Last month he brought us a bag of mooncakes for the mid-Autumn festival. People are so nice to us, it makes me wonder what we have done to deserve it.

We have a friend coming from Nanning to visit us this morning and staying overnight, my wife has just gone out to meet her. I guess we'll be eating chicken for 2 days!

[Stanley]

Hope it goes well Kev....
Chicken better than mooncakes China!
Relining the Lobbs hasn't altered the size, they fit perfectly.

[Tizer]

Great, Kev - we wish you a hassle-free transaction!

[Stanley]

Rain again!
Also the way the barometer reading is going up and down like a yo-yo. I suppose it's the equinoctial effect. No doubt we have autumn!

[Big Kev]

Thank you all for your comments on the house move, started packing stuff away today as there's a lot of downsizing to do. Anyone want to buy a fridge freezer?

[Stanley]

Flitting is reckoned to be as big a life event as divorce or bereavement Kev, look after each other....

[chinatyke]

Is 'flitting' a northern word or is it in common useage?

[Stanley]

It is with me!
Today is the 50th anniversary of the first Monty Python's Flying Circus.

[Cathy]

Flitting. I normally think of it as in sometimes referred to 'Doing a moonlight flit'. Meaning to move house or leave one's home, typically secretly so as to escape creditors or obligations.

Not our Big Kev of course.