Belling the Cat is a fable also known under the titles The Bell and the Cat and The Mice in Council. In the story, a group of mice agree to attach a bell to a cat's neck to warn of its approach in the future, but they fail to find a volunteer to perform the job. The term has become an... Continue Reading →
Skin in the game – a tattoo of the Keeling Curve
Today I got a tattoo. Mrs Hudson (not her real name, or title, in fact) has plenty - crows, beetles, angels of the apocalypse etc. Me? When my turn came, I went for a Keeling Curve. The lovely and steady-handed tattooist I went to (Deviant Ink, in Stone, Staffordshire) knew exactly what it was, and... Continue Reading →
We live drenched and waterboarded by propaganda – two (trivial) examples
There is that quote by Alex Carey, the Australian wicketkeeper social scientist about three big developments in the twentieth century being - well, let me google that for me. "The 20th century has been characterised by three developments of great political importance. The growth of democracy; the growth of corporate power; and the growth of... Continue Reading →
Degraded infrastructure of dissent – four examples
Well, it's not looking good for our species, is it? (And not so hot for most of the other species we 'share' this planet with - those microbes that eat sulphur in the deep ocean might make it through unscathed, but as for the rest of it...). Here I am going to bash out -... Continue Reading →
“‘Be aware of contingencies?’ Is that all ya got??”
In a spiral . Attending online events just to reassure myself that we are well and truly fubarred. On Thursday I attended one because someone has a New Book out. I put my question in the Q&A and it was resolutely ignored by the compere until they had no choice (there were no other questions... Continue Reading →
Another shoddy neologism to add to smugosphere, emotacycle etc – “stolidarity”
Stolidarity n. Boring and at-best-useless forms of non-engagement, where potential allies and participants are unable to do more than show stolid solidarity because the organisers of the meeting/event have not bothered to undercut the "sage on the stage" dynamic. I didn't have a name for this when I encountered it twice in Australia, during the... Continue Reading →
After the “revolution” – singing Beasts of England for solace…
I used to say that when I became Chief Fascist Dictator one of my first decrees (or "executive orders") would be that everyone had to read Animal Farm once a year and write an essay about how the techniques the pigs used applied in the reader's life - at home, at school, at work, wherever.... Continue Reading →
The cannibalistic left and its sanctimony (from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie interview)
Trigger warning - mention of sexual assault, alleged (but not actual) transphobia. On every issue there are some positions that are so far beyond the pale that to debate them, to allow them into the discussion is to normalise them (and even denouncing them helps to normalise them). It's not a question of the existence... Continue Reading →
Curiosity cheered the cat – of climate, community and facilitation in Glossop
Thursday 30th January found me in Glossop, catching up with an old (in every sense) friend. And then being one of the old white men in front a sizeable audience. I enjoyed myself, not (I hope) at the expense of 30 people, but in collaboration with them The event was the latest Curiosity Club in... Continue Reading →
Delusions of the “we’ve tried everything” brigade; 2 cents on the Arrived Ecological Debacle #12 or thereabouts
This year I am going to write something short, daily, about what is going on – “2 cents on the Arrived Ecological Debacle” (2cotAED). I have to write it; you don’t have to read it. If you DO read it, feel free to tell me how wrong I am (and hopefully why). Re: the debacle... Continue Reading →
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