Art, Poetry, Politics, RattleBag and Rhubarb

Wisdom of the Ages

Looks like having government officials who are Ignorant and Stupid is nothing new. Chinese poet Su Tung-Po nailed it centuries ago.  I was browsing through the International Times for 1969 – the way one does. And there – amid the fevered, underground, counter-cultural world of macrobiotics, head shop ads, rock and roll, anarchy, activism, and psychedelia as seen from North…

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Politics, RattleBag and Rhubarb

Hopeful Signs

I am always a bit astonished when I see tRump signs at people’s houses. And I ask myself: “Who are these people? What on earth can they be thinking?” There’s three on our route to our usual walk  – not just signs of course, but mega flags trumpeting the household fascist tendencies, racism, and misogyny to the world. And looks…

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Politics, RattleBag and Rhubarb

Anarchy in New York City

The US Department of ‘Justice’ declared this week that New York City — along with Portland and Seattle — to be a “jurisdiction permitting violence and destruction property.”  Allegedly our state and local government are permitting anarchy, violence, and destruction So of course I had to take a look. So far, this is what I can report: Weather: Warm, sunny,…

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Food, Poetry, Politics, RattleBag and Rhubarb

In the Salon with Gertrude Stein

It takes a lot of time to be a genius, you have to sit around so much doing nothing, really doing nothing.– Gertrude Stein  As you know from my earlier post I have recently been chatting with Gertrude Stein about her life and particularly aspects of her work Tender Buttons (1914). This was all facilitated by my early acquaintance with…

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Art, Politics, RattleBag and Rhubarb, WW2

About Isms He was Never Wrong: George Orwell at the Café Royal

George Orwell had an interesting chance encounter with a blasé conspiracy theorist at the Café Royal in 1940. (See left). The young man is in the grip of a dangerous fallacy. As always with autocracy and totalitarianism,  Orwell nails it. The fallacy is to believe that under a dictatorial government you can be free inside. Quite a number of people console themselves…

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Books, Food, Politics, RattleBag and Rhubarb, WW2

Much Ado About Deception and Delusion: Kate Atkinson’s Transcription and London 1940

The sandwich was no comfort, it was a pale limp thing a long way from the déjeuner sur l’herbe of her imagination. . . . Recently she had bought a new book, by Elizabeth David — A Book of Mediterranean Food. A hopeful purchase. The only olive oil she could find was sold in her local chemist in a small bottle. ‘For softening…

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Books, Politics, RattleBag and Rhubarb

Edward Bear and Stochastic Terrorism

As America wakes up this Sunday morning it is confronted with the horror of two major acts of domestic terrorism. America is being dragged down – bump, bump, bump on the head – as the atrocities mount up. It is  thanks to a white nationalist race-baiter squatting in the White House. And a Republican Party rendered inert and spineless by…

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Politics, RattleBag and Rhubarb

Dem Debates: And the winner is ….

It’s hard to cut through the clutter and fog of an overcrowded political field. But Elizabeth Warren did it this week. The debates were not conducive to any kind of discussion of issues beyond sound bite point scoring. They were structured for personal zingers and not for any exploration of policy differences. All that time spent on health care but…

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Politics, RattleBag and Rhubarb

Let Me Be Clear

We are well into the election season although the actual vote is well over a year away. This time in 2020 we will know our Democratic presidential candidate. It’s a crowded field and candidates must find a way to distinguish themselves from the pack. Right now we have four clear leaders – Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth…

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Politics, RattleBag and Rhubarb

The Pentrich Martyrs and Peterloo

I was intrigued when I discovered that I am distantly related to the last person beheaded in England. The year is 1817 and the place Derbyshire. Isaac Ludlam was one of three men executed at Derby gaol. His head was cut from his corpse and shown to the thousands in the crowd. This was not a story handed down in…

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Politics

Diversity is Our Strength, Unity is Our Power

One Plays Chess, the Other Checkers Nancy Pelosi does serious politics and toddler management 101. Trump watches Fox.  As everyone knows – the lying bully-in-chief who – wanting to erect a pointless, ineffective and vastly expensive monument to himself on the southern border – was thoroughly defeated and out-maneuvered by Nancy Pelosi. She demonstrated the political will. Transportation workers delivered the coup…

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Politics, RattleBag and Rhubarb

David Lammy and the Fraud that is Brexit

David Lammy is the Labour MP for Tottenham. He made the speech and took the stand that many of us hoped that Jeremy Corbyn would lead the party with. Didn’t happen. If you follow British politics in any degree beyond zero then you may well have seen this video of David Lammy addressing the House of Commons on the shame…

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Education, Politics, RattleBag and Rhubarb

What is the purpose of high school?

Lots of chatter about the fresh faces, diversity and new perspectives of the incoming class in the House of Representatives. Here’s a heartwarming story of the new everyday congress folk via Time magazine. It captures snippets of their hopes, dreams and earnest aspirations. Watch it below.  My new congressman Antonio Delgado is in the group and also Max Rose from…

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Art, Poetry, Politics, RattleBag and Rhubarb

Communist, Nationalist, Fascist, Poet and Glasgow 1960

“I have too many books but I only have my shelf to blame.” The pun came via Twitter. As does my very limited knowledge of celebrity news. Thanks to Twitter trends I know that this week Kanye and Drake have had some long-standing feud about something or other and now it has taken a turn for the better for some…

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Poetry, Politics, RattleBag and Rhubarb

Brexit, Beowulf and the Bum Trumpet

The day after the Brexit referendum our dear leader – then candidate for the presidency – was on his way to Scotland to re-open a golf course. As soon as he landed he tweeted:  The response was fast and furious – an impressive torrent of inventive invective and obscenity that kept Twitter amused for days as the true significance of…

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