In case anyone's wondering, I'm not planning to make any comment at all on the appalling murder in Woolwich. Sincere condolences to the young man's family and a hope that the utter wickedness and pointlessness of the act and their profound ignorance of what one of the great books of any religion has to say eventually dawn on the perpetrators.

Just in from the local Remembrance service at the war memorial in Cirencester. Since we first moved here in 1995, attendance has increased year on year; probably not unrelated to the losing wars which are the most toxic New Labour legacy ( Read more... )

So that's that for another four years. Phew ( Read more... )

The Man, imbecile that he is, appears to have forgotten about his Livejournal account and hasn't posted anything for a long time. Nobly, I, Spinoza, the Principal Cat in the Landsmand household, have decided to compromise my dignity by posting this short update ( Read more... )

So this gainfully employed* lark is rather demanding of time. Since May, I've been in and out of the Gulf and had one trip to wonderful Vienna, Virginia ( Read more... )

So, 235 years now. Well done, best wishes for many more.

In order to assure myself that all is well in the former 13 Colonies, I shall be in DC next week, at a loose end on Sunday 10 July. If anyone fancies a drink or something, drop me a line on (this LJ username) at gmail.com.

Observant folk outside the United Kingdom may have noticed that the gilded youth of our fair country has been somewhat miffed of late at a newly-passed set of measures which significantly increase tuition fees at the country's universities (note here that we seem to have an amazing number of these, due, mainly, to the conversion of polytechnics, ( Read more... )

Musing on the rather pathetic 6% of the vote gained by the Svenskademokraterna in the Swedish General Election and the amazing response of the Swedish political establishment and media to it.Listening to the great and the good in Sweden ranting and watching them frothing at the mouth about the forthcoming Nazi takeover this presages and the media's ( Read more... )

Just heard by email that one of my old soc.history.what-if pals, the formidably erudite Alan Lothian, has died ( Read more... )

I'd be sorry to see this account disabled, so this post is a placeholder for a longer update to follow. In the gym if wet.