Dawn

Dawn

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Narky Buddhists; Godly confusion; Gib again; Spanish justice; Blasphemy; Spanish youth; and Bertie Russell

I was surprised to learn yesterday that some Buddhists justify violence. But I wasn't surprised to hear they do this on the basis of an alternative reading of their scriptures. This, after all, is the bane of all modern religions - differing interpretations of the Word of God, leading to schisms and splinterings a-plenty. Not to mention appalling intra-faith violence. And extra-faith slaughter. You wonder why God didn't give us one unambiguous text. Or at least some explanatory notes. Perhaps He delegated the task and has since walked around Heaven muttering "If You want a job done well, You have to bloodywell do it Yourself". That said, being omniscient, you'd have thought He saw it all coming. Perhaps, as I've said before, He's a bit of a cosmic jokester.

The answer to the question of whether the Spanish media would report equally on both EU decisions on Gibraltar would appear to be No. They're ignoring the clean bill of financial health given to The Rock. What we do have is another incident n Gibraltar waters apparently deliberately provoked by Spain. I'm guessing this will be widely reported in today's media. Meanwhile, the Great Rocky Words War has been escalated by the irritated (and rather lippy) Gibraltar chief minister, who's warned that Spanish ships may be mistaken for terrorists and sunk. Now, that surely would be a news item. You do wonder whether the Spanish government isn't trying to provoke a serious incident. Though possibly one short of several drownings.

The Spanish Judicial System: Chapter 3: Spain's National Court has authorised the arrest of an ex Chinese President and 4 of his officials, over genocide in Tibet 20 years ago. If anyone understands why Spanish courts are taking this responsibility to themselves, I'd be grateful for an insight.

Talking of offences committable in Spain . . . An imminent new Citizen Security statute sets out potentially heavy penalties for unauthorised protests and for insulting or threatening the police, inter alia. One wonders whose word will be taken in the case of the latter. And whether the police will be issued with helmet cameras(sic), as they now are in the UK, where police are no longer believed the way they were aeons ago. More details on this here, care of David Jackson.

And still on offences - I learned yesterday that blasphemy only ceased to be a crime in England in 2008. And that, when it was on the statute book, only the Anglican God could be blasphemed, not the Quaker nor the Catholic God, for example. The last time the state initiated a case was in 1922, when the accused had compared God to a clown. He was sentenced to hard labour. Thank God, as it were, that times change. Especially as I've just realised that I compared God to a comedian above. I wonder what the Spanish take on blasphemy is.

Another sad sign of the times: Spain's reputation for taking the learning of English seriously is said to be improving rapidly. But no wonder - many (if not most) young people see their job prospects as being far better outside the country than within it. Forcing some to think about leaving home before they're 35. Even if it means cleaning hotel rooms in London. Or waiting on table in a tapas bar in Leicester. Is there a tapas bar in Leicester, Britain's curry capital?

Finally . . . Some extracts from the strange autobiography of Bertrand Russell. Tomorrow -1894.

1893: Trinity College, Cambridge

I began to find there were serious forces of evil. When the Junior Dean, a clergyman, who raped his little daughter and became paralysed with syphilis, had to be got rid of in consequence, the Master went out his way to state at College Meetings that those of us who did not attend chapel regularly had no idea how excellent this worthy's servant had been.By this time, I had quite ceased to be the shy prig that I was when I first went to Cambridge.

It was May Week, and I was shocked to read in the paper that during this week people's thoughts were not devoted to work. But by my fourth year I had become gay and flippant.

When I argued with Keynes, I felt I took my life in his hands and I seldom emerged without feeling something of a fool. I was sometimes inclined to feel that so much cleverness must be incompatible with depth, but I do not think this feeling was justified.

The profound conviction that the Treaty of Versailles spelt disaster so roused the earnest moralist in him that he forgot to be clever - without, however, ceasing to be.

The number of sons and daughters [of the Strachey family] was almost beyond computation, and all the children were to to my unpractised eyes exactly alike except in the somewhat superficial point that some were male and some were female.

Finally, finally . . . More fotos:-

Elegant arches.



Elegant metalwork.



The metal struts artwork outside the new museum.


The slabbed side of the new museum. The strips are lit at night, destroying my cityscape. The local prison looks better.


An elegant building, which just happens to be the main building of the old museum.



Woman and chickens, outside the market. Lovely. But is it art?


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