Thursday, June 26, 2003
Delightful japanese style cartoon
The perils of auto-complete - I wasn't even looking for a title post, and this appeared. I like it, and I'll try to find a cartoon in that style soon...
Cross post 2 - visit Rugby Round-up occassionally
Interesting news:
"Waratah five-eighth Duncan McRae is on his way to Gloucester. Gloucester Rugby Club last night announced that McRae has signed a two-year deal with the English club. McRae is set to join Gloucester after the Tooheys New Cup club competition. McRae told NSW Rugby Union chief executive John McKay this week of his decision. "Duncan will go to Gloucester with our best wishes, because he has been a great performer for NSW over the past two years," McKay told R&M. "The offer from England is simply one he cannot refuse, especially as he has a young family.""
That's the same Duncan McRae who did this to Ronan O'Gara with by my count around ten punches as he was trapped on the ground
The punching incident
A bloody wound
The end result
Oh, and by the way, O'Gara plays for Munster. And just look at what's to happen in the "2003/2004 Heineken Cup, [hwere] Gloucester and Munster [are] set to once again do battle in the initial stages of the European tournament
Great. What a wonderful signing. Well done guys - it's not as if there's not enough tension between Glos and Munster after last season's games.
"Waratah five-eighth Duncan McRae is on his way to Gloucester. Gloucester Rugby Club last night announced that McRae has signed a two-year deal with the English club. McRae is set to join Gloucester after the Tooheys New Cup club competition. McRae told NSW Rugby Union chief executive John McKay this week of his decision. "Duncan will go to Gloucester with our best wishes, because he has been a great performer for NSW over the past two years," McKay told R&M. "The offer from England is simply one he cannot refuse, especially as he has a young family.""
That's the same Duncan McRae who did this to Ronan O'Gara with by my count around ten punches as he was trapped on the ground
The punching incident
A bloody wound
The end result
Oh, and by the way, O'Gara plays for Munster. And just look at what's to happen in the "2003/2004 Heineken Cup, [hwere] Gloucester and Munster [are] set to once again do battle in the initial stages of the European tournament
Great. What a wonderful signing. Well done guys - it's not as if there's not enough tension between Glos and Munster after last season's games.
Cross post number 1
Things you never knew - Dennis Thatcher had a distinguished rugby career, playing for a good side, then rising up the refereeing ranks. And, as in all rugby stories, there's a good joke:
"There is a story, possibly apocryphal, about him at a London Society dinner at a time when wife Margaret was Prime Minister. Thatcher, who detested public speaking, was to be the after-dinner speaker at the dinner.
The introduction was long with lots of Honourable Denis Thatcher this and Honourable Denis Thatcher that. The gathering became restless, then rowdy with pats of butter flicked about and the raucously direct with bread rolls flying.
Eventually the introduction came to an end: "The Honourable Denis Thatcher will now give us his address."
Thatcher rose and said: "Number 10, Downing Street", and sat down to thunderous applause."
"There is a story, possibly apocryphal, about him at a London Society dinner at a time when wife Margaret was Prime Minister. Thatcher, who detested public speaking, was to be the after-dinner speaker at the dinner.
The introduction was long with lots of Honourable Denis Thatcher this and Honourable Denis Thatcher that. The gathering became restless, then rowdy with pats of butter flicked about and the raucously direct with bread rolls flying.
Eventually the introduction came to an end: "The Honourable Denis Thatcher will now give us his address."
Thatcher rose and said: "Number 10, Downing Street", and sat down to thunderous applause."
Wednesday, June 25, 2003
oh dear - effectively, is my photo message hot or not?
This isn't exactly news - a lot of people think that the Catholic church's rule on celibacy probably contribute to its problems in this way. But it's surprising to find a report by "the ecumenical body Churches Together in Britain and Ireland" saying the same thing. The article doesn't tell us how sound these conclusions are, or how large they think the impact is. But this is something the Church should look to address.
THE requirement for Roman Catholic priests to be celibate contributes to some of them becoming sex abusers, according to a church report.
Many suffer from an “arrested psychological development” and have little capacity for intimate relationships with men or women, it says.
“The expectations of celibacy and the nature of ministry, unfortunately, keep such men arrested, underdeveloped, secretive and susceptible to committing sexually abusive behaviours,” says the ecumenical report Time For Action.
A series of interviews with clergy sexual offenders showed that older Catholic priests entered the ministry with little sexual experience. “They bring, therefore, to adult church leadership a serious sexual and relationship immaturity. Sexual desire is not eliminated by a commitment to ministry,” the report says.
Clergy are “caught in a trap” because they experience sexual desire as part of their humanity but also experience shame and distress at the presence of such desire. This can lead to a whole range of problems including “a distinctive pattern of sexual abuse that is rooted in sexual addiction”.
The report also suggests that the high level of homophobia in some denominations shows “high levels of covert or repressed homosexual interest in these same people”. "
THE requirement for Roman Catholic priests to be celibate contributes to some of them becoming sex abusers, according to a church report.
Many suffer from an “arrested psychological development” and have little capacity for intimate relationships with men or women, it says.
“The expectations of celibacy and the nature of ministry, unfortunately, keep such men arrested, underdeveloped, secretive and susceptible to committing sexually abusive behaviours,” says the ecumenical report Time For Action.
A series of interviews with clergy sexual offenders showed that older Catholic priests entered the ministry with little sexual experience. “They bring, therefore, to adult church leadership a serious sexual and relationship immaturity. Sexual desire is not eliminated by a commitment to ministry,” the report says.
Clergy are “caught in a trap” because they experience sexual desire as part of their humanity but also experience shame and distress at the presence of such desire. This can lead to a whole range of problems including “a distinctive pattern of sexual abuse that is rooted in sexual addiction”.
The report also suggests that the high level of homophobia in some denominations shows “high levels of covert or repressed homosexual interest in these same people”. "
The legal aspects of on-line games, particularly role-playing games Apparently a more fruitful topic for discussion than you'd think.
I'm not sure what's happened to Lileks. But one of the things to admire about his style of writing is his wit even when things are going poorly:
"when life hands you lemons, head down the hall, hide in the closet of your enemy, wait until they get a papercut, then leap out shouting BANZAI and crush the lemon in your hand right over the papercut. Save the peel. Go downstairs to the bar. Order a vodka. Use the peel. Yum!"
"when life hands you lemons, head down the hall, hide in the closet of your enemy, wait until they get a papercut, then leap out shouting BANZAI and crush the lemon in your hand right over the papercut. Save the peel. Go downstairs to the bar. Order a vodka. Use the peel. Yum!"
Monday, June 23, 2003
All England all the time over at Rugby Round-up. Which is kinda where I've been....
Sunday, June 22, 2003
Apparently, in spite of the obvious advantages, "open source" software, essentially free to the user, is a hard sell to the third world. The reason is that, unless they have to pay, there's a perception that the "good stuff" is what a big US corporation would be buying. Even if it's pirated.
This strikes me as the ultimate example of the phenomenon behind "perceived value pricing" - you charge more to attract customers who seek the cachet of the product. Here, who else buys products, and the "legitimate" price, determine demand.
This strikes me as the ultimate example of the phenomenon behind "perceived value pricing" - you charge more to attract customers who seek the cachet of the product. Here, who else buys products, and the "legitimate" price, determine demand.
If you're driving around Britain, and you want to find good food at a "pit-stop" along the way, then these are the ten best destinations (I regularly use number five when going from Birmingham to Twickenham), "all within five minutes of the motorway:
1. M9, junction 2/3: Champany Inn, Linlithgow. One of the best known restaurants in Scotland, noted for its Aberdeen Angus.
2. M6, junction 38, the Cross Keys, Tebay. An old coaching inn with cheerful staff, good pies and six bedrooms.
3. A1(M), junction 49: the Crab and Lobster, Asenby. The quirkily furnished pub offers excellent seafood, there is outdoor seating and Crab Manor next door is an 11-bedroom hotel.
4. M1, junction 18: the Red Lion, Crick. Said to date from the Norman Conquest. Steak pie is a speciality.
5. M11, junction 13/14: the Three Horseshoes, Madingley. A smart restaurant/pub with pleasant garden and conservatory.
6. M4, junction 32: the Village hotel, Cardiff. This modern hotel is very popular locally and offers good food in a smart casual setting.
7. M40, junction 6: Ye Olde Leather Bottel, Lewknor. A 450-year-old pub with a large garden, specialising in home cooking.
8. M25, junction 13: the Runnymede hotel, Egham. Unlike many of the others, this is a plush, modern hotel rather than country pub, but the standard of the food and the riverside location make it worth visiting. A stone’s throw from the M25.
9. M26, junction 2A: the Bull Inn, Wrotham. A pretty village and the roast lamb is delicious. It’s also a regular venue for classic car clubs’ gatherings.
10. M5, junction 30: the Blue Ball Inn, Sandygate. An 18th-century pub, in a quiet lane with scrubbed tables, tiled floors and low beamed ceilings.
For the ultimate motorway snack, however, one restaurant is hard to beat. Presided over by Raymond Blanc, it offers a seven-course banquet for £95, and rooms starting from £265 a night. A bottle of 1990 Margaux premier cru classé will add £1,225 to the bill. And yet despite all the pomp and grandeur, Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons, Great Milton, Oxfordshire, is just five minutes from junction 7 of the M40. "
If you want to find one appropriate for your journey, then the "mother lode" is Five Minutes Away.com, organised by motorway...
1. M9, junction 2/3: Champany Inn, Linlithgow. One of the best known restaurants in Scotland, noted for its Aberdeen Angus.
2. M6, junction 38, the Cross Keys, Tebay. An old coaching inn with cheerful staff, good pies and six bedrooms.
3. A1(M), junction 49: the Crab and Lobster, Asenby. The quirkily furnished pub offers excellent seafood, there is outdoor seating and Crab Manor next door is an 11-bedroom hotel.
4. M1, junction 18: the Red Lion, Crick. Said to date from the Norman Conquest. Steak pie is a speciality.
5. M11, junction 13/14: the Three Horseshoes, Madingley. A smart restaurant/pub with pleasant garden and conservatory.
6. M4, junction 32: the Village hotel, Cardiff. This modern hotel is very popular locally and offers good food in a smart casual setting.
7. M40, junction 6: Ye Olde Leather Bottel, Lewknor. A 450-year-old pub with a large garden, specialising in home cooking.
8. M25, junction 13: the Runnymede hotel, Egham. Unlike many of the others, this is a plush, modern hotel rather than country pub, but the standard of the food and the riverside location make it worth visiting. A stone’s throw from the M25.
9. M26, junction 2A: the Bull Inn, Wrotham. A pretty village and the roast lamb is delicious. It’s also a regular venue for classic car clubs’ gatherings.
10. M5, junction 30: the Blue Ball Inn, Sandygate. An 18th-century pub, in a quiet lane with scrubbed tables, tiled floors and low beamed ceilings.
For the ultimate motorway snack, however, one restaurant is hard to beat. Presided over by Raymond Blanc, it offers a seven-course banquet for £95, and rooms starting from £265 a night. A bottle of 1990 Margaux premier cru classé will add £1,225 to the bill. And yet despite all the pomp and grandeur, Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons, Great Milton, Oxfordshire, is just five minutes from junction 7 of the M40. "
If you want to find one appropriate for your journey, then the "mother lode" is Five Minutes Away.com, organised by motorway...
Been there, hated the process...
Sorry guys, I was "kidnapped" over to Feltham, made to watch rugby, and not let out. Missed the programme. Sorry.
