100 Christmas Moments 2008 TV

It was not until late in the morning that I was ready to go into a sunlight so intense that it was impossible to read the dashboard monitors and check my speed although I was wearing my prescription sun glasses. The crystal light continued out to sea for some distance before hitting onto a bank of cloud which appeared to be laying on the surface of the water. It was first genuine reminder of summer for several weeks. I longed to feel the warmth of the sun and though my spirits were raised it did not immediately lift the feeling of sadness which had gripped me earlier. I became unhappy with me not the world.

The first destination of the outing was Sunderland Football club for a ticket for Boxing Day. The match marked the first return of Sam Alladyce who had made public his interest in the Sunderland Manager’s job before accepting Blackburn. I got a ticket behind the goal but close to the away supporters and just below the main concourse. It is several decades since taking a seat behind the goal mouth so it will feel a new experience.

Foolishly, especially because of what then happened, I made my way from the car park around the one way system towards Wearmouth Bridge, but it quickly became evident that everyone was heading for the town centre and last minute Christmas shopping. I ought to have anticipated this. I had driven around the corner into the Wearmouth Bridge Road on the inside lane so I continued around to the Sunderland Newcastle Road, ignoring to the two lanes of stationery traffic for the Bridge, and then crossed over to the far side lane and found myself passing where I had started but not more than five minutes earlier. The printer cartridge replacement shop on the corner was shuttered. Perhaps they had closed early for the Christmas. A new computer store has opened where I bought my wood framed double bed some six, seven or either years ago. There was further traffic build up approaching the only other bridge crossing of the wear for vehicles and pedestrians. Too lazy to get the map from the car and not remembering the name of the Bridge I attempted to find the information but instead discovered a new £100 million road bridge crossing between here and the A19. Once over the present Bridge the traffic appeared to be going to the shopping centre to the west or to the southern residential areas avoiding the city centre. I was heading for P C World next to the large B and Q centre for a new USB memory card reader as the one recently acquired ceased to function from overheating.
The new unit appears more sturdy yet cost £5 less. I will take greater care, or at least try to do so.

I did not linger but on making my way homeward, again deciding to take the coast road I stopped in Fullwell for the post office and two books of first class stamps and then at a convenience store for vinegar and some ordinary mince pies, forgotten on my visit to the supermarket the previous day.

The sun had disappeared and on reaching the sea front at Shields it was evident there had been a brief but heavy shower. The work on the South Bent Parks remains to be completed although appears nearly done. It should have been ready for August. A giant bushy Christmas Tree has appeared on the banking above the new bandstand but is undercoated. There are also small Christmas trees added to the shrubbery which surrounds two sides of the park. It was after 2pm when I returned and enjoyed a ham salad followed by ice cream.

I thought I had closed the freezer door properly. I had not and this was not discovered until going to bed. I will be eating very well tomorrow with cold meats for Christmas day meals and Boxing Day. Fortunately it was only food at the front which had commenced to defrost sufficiently to make refreezing unwise and this was moved to the refrigerator to complete the process. It is going to be a morning cook.

I was not in the mood for serious work so decided to watch Batman Begins the 2005 summer blockbuster which critics for once agreed was the best film of those brought to the large screen. I agreed with their reaction nut the film is not great entertainment and if not entertainment what is there else? The film creates a believable back story for the comic strip character, orphaned as a child by victim of the Depression the boy feels a sense of guilt and escapes top find himself as soon as he is in position to travel the world mixing with the criminal underworld to find how they live and why.

As a child he had fallen down a shaft on the estate and been frightened by the bats. Taken to the opera he presses his parents to leave midway during a scene in which flying bats are recreated and it is this is the cause of their leaving early and encountering the lethal mugger. On his travels he encounters a mysterious seer and teacher who trains him in a monastic environment at the top of a mountain Tibetan style and on his return to Gotham City, a modern international city, with the help of his guardian played by Michael Caine, he determines to use his wealth to tackle the crime and corruption which has taken over the city during his absence. Conquering his fear of bats he adopts the creature as his persona, using his wealth to acquire the latest materials and technology, and his training and natural abilities to develop the concept into the legendary cartoon strip character. All this is needed as the his mentor visits the city with the purpose of cleansing its corrupt people and only Batman is able to thwart this plan as well as tackling the major figures and their henchman who are terrorising the good people. The action takes places at night and overall the film is very dark in every sense. Just as Superman is adored by an investigative reporter Batman has a childhood female friend who has become one of the few campaigners for good as a member of city justice department. As with Superman she has contempt for the say to day alter ego of her hero but comes to realise they are the same individual.

Strip away all the contemporary fantasy creating film techniques this is a simple story of the battle between the good and evil within all of us, cowardice and fear, courage and honour. Earlier there was an amusing science fiction nonsense in which the scientist who has discovered time travel tries to hide his device as the government plan to use for military purposes, thus it was ever so, and it is time the myth and illusion was ended that those who become scientists in any field of invention and originality are unaware that their work can be out to military and negative purposes as well as for the good.

For the past six years a group of animal welfare terrorists committed acts of physical and psychological violence against a company using animals for the developments of new medicines, turning their intentions to the workforce and the suppliers. The most alarming aspect of the case was why it took so long for the authorities to catch the gang involved and bring them to justice. I have sympathy with those who find the use of any beings for experimentation unacceptable especially when paid and death are part of the trial and error involved in search for new ways to assist and further the welfare of other beings, and can also understand the mind set which changes idealists into dangerous fanatics who do harm than good, to other beings, as well as to their cause.
Work which is designed to prevent premature death or deformity, whether natural through biology and diseases, or through economic and political systems, ignorance and accident is always to be commended, except when it causes harm to some beings and where the justification is the greater good. It is the understandable defence of all governments given responsibility for the protection and furthering of the interests of the majority that they will accept the sacrifice of some in the cause of the many, although it is also the responsibility of government to seek to protects the welfare of everyone, including those who are the critics of government. However if you use means which are incompactly with the ends then you become the same as those you oppose.

In my own instance I am fighting against the reality of old age and that I no longer have the physical energy to work for as long and as consistently as five let alone ten years ago, Instead of trying to maintain and improve physical ability, I compensate by over eating which in turn means less energy and ability to work. I resent using the decreasing time when I am mentally and physically fit in non work activities such as walking or exercise within the home even if it just for half an hour. I need to break out of my present cycle into a more constructive one.

There were three stories in the overnight online news media which aroused my interest. I can understand how those who feel they have no influence on a society which they believe, usually rightly, the odds are stacked of those who already have wealth and power against those who through no fault of their own do not. The New York Times had an excellent article on why serious university students, such as the one featured, are becoming Muslim activists. Aged 20 he was ambitious and with ability and wanted to study abroad but discovered that he lacked he connections to be allowed to do so. He found that by joining the Muslim Brotherhood at University his background and connections did not matter. The article uses this example who young people across the middle east and elsewhere are turning to fundamentalist Muslim beliefs because of its inherent sense of justice and as a means of fighting in the inherent conservatism of their government a conservatism which tends to protect the existing order of power and wealth.


This may be sp but it does not auger well for the future of the rest of us. The government‘s in question and Saudi Arabia is the one likely to be regarded as the worst offender by these young people and as they article by Michael Blackman argues, are unlikely to voluntarily give up their wealth and power, or promote moderate religious or secular movements. The consequence is that young people, who might have been attracted to democratic movements, genuine socialist developments now find themselves in the vanguard of preaching an intolerant fundamentalism which requires the state to reflect the religion in its worst as well as better aspects. One bright development is that of the educated young women who do not accept that adoption of the faith requires them to become slaves to an exclusively male view of religion although this will require considerable sacrifice and martyrdom from some, for just as those with the wealth and power oppose anything or anyone who could affect their position adversely young Muslim men, supported by their religious teachers and elders will oppose all suggestions of a religion or state in which there is equality between the sexes.

It is also unfortunately a truth that in all movements based on strict acceptance of a hierarchical structure the realistic compliance of the majority is required and the elimination of dissent becomes a priority. Recently I watched again the film of George Orwell’s Animal Farm in which the rules are revised in order to suit the changing needs of the new hierarchy as they become more and more like the people they initiated the revolution against. It is always those who question who are eliminated first and it is no accident that under Communism and Fascism and other Dictatorship hierarchies that the dissenter, the free thinker and the artist are the first to be persecuted, expelled or worse still executed.

I am still optimistic that president Elect Obama will use his ability to command a consensus to bring about real change. The way he distanced himself from the corrupt politicians mortgaging their integrity to the lobbyists and worse augurs well and it is encouraging that he has sown distance between himself and the transitional team and the State Governor only the last in a succession of corrupt men. It was right to release the findings of the internal investigation.

A more difficult test is the approach taken in how the billion age package of economic stimulation will be focussed. The understandable response of State Governments and Legislatures is to press for every road highway scheme on the books to be brought forward. The proposed Sunderland River Wear Crossing in Britain is an example of this. However I share in the view of the environmentalists that we do not need more road or more vehicles unless they can become carbon monoxide free. The same applies to new airport runways. The problem is that many of these projects are shovel ready while the new grids for wind and solar polar are in the early stages of planning and development. My local Council sent an email pressing residents to limit the extent of paper and other immediately wasted material used for Christmas presents. Well done. I had already taken heed.

Apparitions and Cheryl Cole

I am travelling south. In the mornings and late afternoons there has been a blinding sun. I lost my newest pair of prescription sun glasses earlier in the year but discovered an old pair in grotty tortoiseshell which required repair but without them I would not have been able to continue my journeys at times convenient to me.

On the latest part of these I stopped for a natural break and visited the store at the service area resisted the temptation to buy chocolate and instead bought two paperbacks. One is President Elect Barack Obama’s the Audacity of Hope and the second, Robert Preston’s Who Runs Britain sub titled who is to blame for the economic mess we are in.

It is freezing cold despite a heater the room of my overnight stop so I will not linger as much as I would have liked about aspects of the first chapter of this book, published by Hodder and Stouton £7.99 although as part of deal the cost was halved, before retreating under the bed covers in hope of finding some warmth. There is staggering statistical information provided in order to establish his principle argument that commenced with Thatcher, then with a temporary lull under John Major the Blain Brown partnership continued, as Brown did until the past few months, policies which enabled the very rich to get richer in comparison to those on average incomes,

If one takes the average earnings of the top 100 company Chief Executives these have increased from 19 times over the past d twenty years to 75 times average earnings which have themselves increased from £11000 to £26000. In cash terms and with the top executives their income at the rate of an extra £400K year. This differential is still modest compared to that of the greatest economy the world has known, the USA where top chiefs are said to be paid 300 times that of the average worker. What I expect the book to say, or should say is that those on benefits, on pensions have fallen more and more behind in terms of buying power because those on average have improved their overall position by accumulating debt, although much of this debt was the cost of further education and training, buying the first homes and travel.

Another measure is where individuals have revealed the totality of their wealth 1000 known to own over £70 million with 68 individuals owning over 1 billion and a reported a total 360 billion for the top 1000, or 50 times the value of one South American economy, and Robert suggests these are conservative figures with others remaining unwilling to make public the extent of their wealth. It was also summed up by one owner who took out over £1000 million from the business while one Hedge fund manipulator took home £120 million in bonus. Other are reported to had significantly manipulated the profit forecasts so as to be able increase the size of their cash payments or stock allocations. I liked his observation that while in theory if you over taxed and over controlled the activities of these entrepreneurs could go elsewhere to park and spend their money, the nature of what they do is such that moving elsewhere is not as easy as some politicians suggest. Moreover he also provides information on the nature and extent to which some of the majors in terms of accumulated and income pay little tax.

While reading I also believed I understood more clearly why some politicians on both sides of the pond, have fallen to the temptation to try and get their top slice of the pie as after all they have facilitated the wealth and have seen their income and capital raising opportunities only grow at a similar scale to the majority. More over the coming days

My praise continues for Apparitions and Martin Shaw. Tonight the issue was of devil spirits who appear as Christian saints or martyrs as well as touching on the horror of what happened in Bosnia. Martin was pressed into holding a Black Mass which he resisted and which those around my in the know thought the purpose was to release a hellish demon back into the rapist and murderer Michael, when in fact the intention had been to try and posses Martin who at the last moment resisted thus the transfer was in fact back to Michael. The interaction between the continuing main characters and those introduced this week especially the Imam at the local Mosque was credible and engaging. Some time I ago I wrote of a film based on a priest who was challenged in the former Yugoslavia over his defence of children who believed they were seeing the mother of Jesus and in this episode a mother was rapped before her son and her husband murdered close to the shrine with the devil taking the form of Mary and persuading the child of the rapist to help release his “father” from the torments of hell.

Who is Cheryl Cole a judge on the X Factor? ITV took the greater part of an hour explaining why she has become the rival to Victoria Beckham as the it girl of young Britain, and the not so young. Given the weighty subjects covered over recent days it may be considered an odd choice to begin a new Blog. I have often talked of the way everything is connected although sometimes we do not have access to the all the information which can substantiate or show links. I have also admitted that throughout my life I frequently miss connections which everyone else makes and go off in my own way, sometimes down blind alleyways and cul-de-sacs but also discovering brilliants short cuts or new vistas, to continue with the geographical concept.

In fact I knew aspects of the story but failed to make the connections. That, however, she commanded an hour’s eulogy does demonstrate the present level of priorities among a vast section of the British population. Cheryl is a nice looking and warm hearted emotional young woman who does now communicate an on screen maturity beyond her years. How far this is real person once the camera’s are turned or is a highly polished creation hat a lot of money and knowing the right people can buy is another issue. According to the programme she has become more popular than Victoria Beckham and is beginning to approach the iconic status of Princess Diana.

One of five children of a Newcastle Heaton family she is yet to be recognised locally as a regional figure, unlike Ant and Dec, Robson Green, Jimmy Nail, Bobby Charlton, Sir Bobby Robson and the most well known of all Alan Shearer. She was an early child model appearing in catalogues and a British Gas TV advert, and voted Miss this and that in various competitions held in the region. She was also a serious and determined young dancer who won a scholarship to the Royal School of Ballet in London but only stayed for 3 months. At the age of nineteen in 2002 she competed in the Pop group talent competition between WannaBe girl and boy bands. Identified as a star in the making with the legendary Peter Waterman he biggest fan, Cheryl the first girl chosen to make up the new creation Girl’s Aloud and which has lasted through several albums and concert tours, four number 1’s and 19 consecutive top ten singles, a British record. They are the only reality TV talent show group to survive and along with Will Young the most successful. However Cheryl had a reputation being something of chav, although the North East version is charv.

The way been taken up by the media who describe mouthy, aggressive working class young woman, usually uneducated, often work shy and not adverse to acts of delinquency who like to dress in a certain way, with the base ball cap one characteristic. It can apply to both sexes but has been taken up by the media in relation to media created personalities such as the wife of footballer Wayne Rooney (Liverpool background) and Jane Goody, the notorious common Big Brother winner and for a time to Cheryl after she was involved in a girl’s night out fracas with a night disco bar club cloak room assistant or USA style hat check girl. She was convicted of a common assault causing a black eye and was fined and given 120 hours community service. She was not convicted of the charge that the assault was racially motivated.

She then moved up several notches after dating an marrying the British Footballer Ashley Cole of Arsenal, Chelsea and England’s World cup Team. They splashed out half a million pounds for the wedding but received £1million for the photoshoot. Madonna is reported to have successfully won an action against a newspaper for publishing photos without agreement said to be worth £5million. So in comparison Cheryl and Ashley were yet to hit the big time. In fact Ashley was only too aware of this because he is also reported to have complained that he was only get £30000 a week at Arsenal, a paltry £1.5 million a year, was also reported to have required double to stay, moving to Chelsea when the club was reputed to have offered only £55000 a week compared to the £60K requested. Both he and Chelsea were fined for being involved in transfer talks without the permission of his club Arsenal although eventual he did move in a cash plus player swap when the clubs failed to bridge at £15-£25 million valuation, His weekly earnings have not been discovered.

The term WAGS is another Media creation to describes the high maintenance wives and girl friends of British footballers who are alleged to think nothing of spending several thousand pounds on a little drinks session or £50000 in an hour’s little shopping filling in time in Germany until going to watch their partners play in the world cup, It was at this point that Cheryl’s fortune and status commenced to change because instead of joining in the WAG fun she stayed quietly in the background with Victoria Beckham, going out for quiet meals together and discreet shopping. Where a WAG and non Wag their children are where in sight, cared for by their nannies.

However Cheryl did not move up a notch in status and national consciousness among the readers of the Sun newspaper in particular until this year when their were allegations, some withdrawn and husband Ashley was not a flawless as his wife was claiming. She then was photographed without wearing her engagement rock and speculative fever raged that the perfect match was ending. However Cheryl then stunned the Celeb world by announcing that marriage was for life and the latest info is that the couple will renew their vows in a lo key ceremony early in 2009.

Last year in order to revive the flagging X factor package Louis Walsh returned after falling out with Simon Cowell and Danny Minogue, sister of Kylie, joined the high profile team with Sharon Osbourne. This year Cheryl who had rapidly become the hottest Celeb in town replaced Sharon and those who commented on the show quickly agreed that she was rivalling Simon in popularity, hence the justification of an hour long TV profile.

So now after putting all the links together can I answer the question true or false? No. Do I care? No. Will I keep an eye out for news in the future? Probably, because in addition to headlines and bulletins from weightier newspapers, I do receive a couple a day, one strictly entertainment gossip from the Sun.

Brideshead Revisited DVDs 2 and Ruskin experience

And so for the second day in succession I devote my time to Brideshead Revisited, Catholicism and the British Banking and investment system.

The 4th episode of Brideshead commenced with Sebastian admitting he had become dependent on alcohol while Charles has become a regular visitor at Brideshead during the vacations between second year terms. For the first time Sebastian turns on Charles who attempts to cover up the situation with the family explaining the son's absence from having gone down with a severe cold. Cordelia insists on calling on Sebastian returning to announce that he is drunk. Charles admitted this is so when asked by Lady Marchmain thus confirming Sebastian's accusation that Charles had become a conspirator with his mother against him. Later after the elder brother accepts that it is impossible to stop someone getting drunk, Sebastian enters the drawing room where his mother is reading a Father Brown story, considered for young Catholics and where the GK Chesterton stories were turned into a 13 part TV series in 1974.

In the morning Sebastian decided to leave the House and go to the family home in London without speaking to his mother, This results in a moving conversation between Charles and Lady Marchmain in which she confesses that once before she had the same experience with her husband, both men full of guilt at their unhappiness with the consequence that they ran away. Although Lady Marchmain is accepting of Charles as almost a family member, giving him a copy of the completed book about her brother, he is aware he is being manipulated and that his relationship with Sebastian and Brideshead is under threat.

During the term the two make plans to takes rooms together in Merton Street but the family friend and author of the book on the brother of Lady Marchmain, Samgrass Fellow of All Souls says this is in question as Lady Marchmain is considering withdrawing him for the following year and in the meantime that he should stay with a Catholic priest of her acquaintance. She visits Charles privately before a luncheon with her son, to explain her position and is about to yield to the request for them to share a flat her son breaks into the college to see Charles and falls drunk and is apprehended by the college Bulldogs (security) with the Proctors and the Master is called. Lady Marchmain advise Charles that because it is evident he is unable to exert the positive influence she had hoped Sebastian is being sent down for the rest of term and will stay with the priest.

Charles finds the rest of the term difficult and considers not returning to Oxford. He confides his intentions to his father and that he wishes to become a painter and his father encourages him to looks at Painting schools abroad, in part because he does not want his home to be turned into a studio. Charles spends the summer at a painting school in Paris where he receives a letter from Lady Marchmain advising that Samgrass is taking Sebastian to the Levant visiting orthodox Monasteries. They will return fro Christmas when she hopes he will be able to see Sebastian. Thus the episode ends and Book one of the novel ends.

(Charles has warned that by keeping close watch and control over Sebastian Lady Marchmain is making it more not less likely that he will run away from her. She sets this aside believing that her duty to protect and further his Catholicism is greater. Thus in one sense she putting her faith before the best interested of her son, but her feelings are more complicated than that and she is just as much a prisoner of the situation as is her son, and as was her husband. So much for the notion of free will.

I break off for lunch, Half a small turkey joint that was wrapped in bacon which has become enjoyably crispy with sage stuffing and some crisp roast potatoes, usually I eat them less well done, but today I have timed everything well, or at least the episode ended at the right time. It is opportunity to reflect.

Although the TV Adaptation has concentrated more on the ending of the relationship between Charles and Sebastian the work also covers the transition which all university students make from their first year when colleges and university exercise a greater sense of in loco parentis, placing students in halls of residence if there is no college structure, and often sharing rooms with another student in a similar situation. In the second and third years most will take rooms together with other students with whom they have something more in common that than going to the same university and same courses of study and where the third year marks the transition between undergraduate life and the separateness and independence that will follow unless marriage is contemplated.

I also experienced these changes having spent the first year in a tiny room in a converted stable block so that any noise was communicated between rooms separated by thin wood partitioning and where relationships were established with other especially those in the closest proximity but most contacts reduced during the second year when first I went into lodging with a retired former college scout from lady Margaret Hall across from the college where I took all my meals. I did move into the college for the last term as means of seeking greater independence and having no obligations to my former landlady who reminded too much of my birth mother. Like Charles I also evaluated what I wanted to do an do not. I also felt outside of life in college which was borne out by what happened in that final term because I was one of only a handful of students within my year taking the Public and Social Administration Course

While I remained greatly interested in political, and social and social history, which was also the interest of the other students I had struggled with my tutor in economic history, a man more insecure than myself and someone with whom there was little sympathy or engagement. I had also struggled with political theory were the tutor was an engaging and charismatic American whose lasting impression was to create a 45 E.P with Jay's Rooks, the Rookery was the name of former Stables my home for a year. However I found political theory confusing although I have many of the works to this day : Hobbes Leviathan, Tom Paine Rights of Man, Kant Critique of Reason, Descartes A Discourse of Reason, Rousseau two volume of Confessions, and his Social Contract, Locke, on Civil Government, Plato the Republic, Machiavelli, the Prince, Sabine Political Theory, Schumpter Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy, Benn and Peters Social Principles and Democratic State, Field Political Theory, Marx Das Capital. Ralph Miliband on Parliamentary Socialism, the father of my local MP and present Foreign Secretary

My problem was with Economic Theory where my tutor was the Vice Principle, a man with a similar background to myself who had achieved some prominence both as an academic economist and a government appointed adviser but never made it to the front rank. Like me he was great on economic theory and had greater ability to express his ideas than I was then capable of. He graded my examination as exceptional and together with his combined grading for the eight essays of the term, brought me to the attention of the Principal as someone who might go on to the University under the scheme which bypassed the first public examination with its Latin Paper and which then enabled one to take three years to sit an honours degree usually covered by other undergraduates in two. However I did not really understand or approve of capitalist economics although I had bought the right books including Mathew on the Trade Cycle and Hicks on Public Finance, Harrod on International Economics and Samuelson's Basic Primers. I knew I needed statistics and to understand the workings of present day economic practice to progress to the Politics, Philosophy and Economics Tripos, so i went to the Principal and asked that if my local authority agreed I could study Psychology and Criminology during my second year. He checked the courses knowing that he had a spare place nomination at the Post Graduate Diploma Course in Public and Social Administration following the "sending down" of one who had gone berserk high on drugs in the Kitchen at Headington Hall, and fortunately for me the subjects I had studied could be taken as part of the proposed course except I had to be say I wanted to be a social worker and be accepted by the course administrators, I was, and the rest they say is history, My Social Administration Tutor became a Professor and years later she and the course Director also a Professor were conducting an investigation for the Government into the working of socials security system and came north to South Shields to visit me and for advice on the working of system on the poor. It was one of several vindications that the Principal and I had found the right solution for me at the right time, unlike Lady Marchmain and her son. I have no unfinished business regarding social work and its management but my problems with the workings of capitalist economics remain and as I will show my concerns are not just about understanding but the underlying morality.

I had forgotten that Charles remained in Paris and like Sebastian did not return to Oxford. He was then invited back to Brideshead for Christmas as Sebastian was due to return from the tour of Levant with Samgrass. However when Charles arrived at the station he found Sebastian also arriving and it soon emerged that the trip had been one of him evading his companion by various ruses in order to get himself drunk. It has taken all the ingenuity of the Fellow from All Souls to trace Sebastian when he escaped to London. Unexpectedly Sebastian decides to join the hunting party and persuades Charles to give him some money to go off to find alcohol returning drunk but putting on a brave face for the evening meal. Charles realises he has failed to reconnect and help his friend. He leaves in the following morning with Lady Marchmain making not effort to persuade him to stay. She then accuses him of betrayal and hating the family. Charles believes that this is the end of his association with the family and returns to Paris.

He receives a letter from Cordelia who is fond of Charles as an unofficial elder brother who treats her as a young woman and she admit she also helped Sebastian with drink and was caught, that Julia was becoming too friendly with Rex Mottram which she says is bad and Rex is to take Sebastian for a cure to a German Doctor

Having established himself and living according to his means he is surprised one day to find Rex Mottram arriving looking for Sebastian who he was taking/guarding on his way to Zurich to the doctor but has given the slip, running off with the winnings Rex made playing cards earlier in the evening. Rex was no proposing to continue the search but go on to Venice to try and get the approval of Lord Marchmain for a marriage to Julia. He had encountered opposition from Lady Marchmain, despite a willingness to convert to Catholicism but still planned a marriage to the most eligible young woman of the time with the Prime Minister photographed attending the ceremony. He would bring his wealth and Parliamentary connections into the marriage while he would gain from the Aristocratic linking, He did not talk of love. He did bring news that Samgrass had been given the heave ho by her Ladyship who had also expressed regret and what she had said to Charles at his departure.

This struck me as the first instance where she had been inconsistent with the teachings and beliefs of her faith and was a clue to why her husband and her second son reacted as they did towards her.,. We learn that her health is poor.

We learn of these things while Charles is taken to dinner.. by Rex, Charles having selected the restaurant and the menu commencing with caviar and followed by Sorrel soup, We are not shared the rest of the meal, so I will check the book Yes the Caviar aux Blinis but this is an addition after he had already ordered soup of Oseille (Waugh does not translate) followed by a sole cooked in a white wine sauce, and then a caneton a la presse: what is this? I wish I had not looked it up. This was a speciality dish at the Parisian restaurant Tour do Argent a century before comprising duck strangled to retain its blood and then partially roasted. Its liver is crushed and seasons and the legs and breast are removed. The rest includes bones and skin is pressed in a device similar to a wine press. The r4sulting juices are mixed with the liver butter and Cognac and combined with the breast to finish cooking .Added to the sauce is Froi gras, Madeira, Port and lemon. The breast is sliced and served with the sauce first. The legs are broil separately and eaten afterwards. There was then a lemon soufflé. (I can make a soufflé) They drank1906 Montrachet and 1904 Clos de Beze. Only the Brandy displeased Rex as it was light, and served in the wrong glass, Rex orders a Napoleon for himself.
I have been conservative in my drinking of spirits, being given gin mixed with orange when I was sixteen at the pre Christmas office going to the pub, This was only one of two occasions when I have been sick drunk, the second at Oxford having been invited as a guest to a private dining club. I have been merry intoxicated in a quiet way several times since then but never losing self control, being aggressive or sad and always afterwards remembering everything that happened or did not. As for brandy, the only alcohol my mother would take when in coffee in Winter during her years between 80 and 90 I have only set brandy on fire over Christmas puddings. Whisky that is different where I always have an inexpensive bottle in the house although these days I tend to take only when I have the indication of a sore throat or go out or return from excessive coldness. There is an exception pure Scottish Malt of the kind that has lain in a vat for upwards of seven year and drank on its own drop by drop, but here again I am just at the end of a bottle purchased in Scotland some eighteen months ago and will invest in another this Christmas if my mood and budget justifies.

It is at this point in the TV adaptation and book that Charles turns his attention to Lady Julia, so very different from the film. It also has to be said that while I connected with both Lord and Lady Marchmain, with their elder son and young Cordelia surprising well drawn by Evelyn Waugh capturing her catholic and general adolescent and youthfulness, fearlessness, honesty and enthusiasm. It is a good point to give attention again to the British Banking system over a cup of tea before England play their third match in the World Cup Qualifying competition for the finals.

I have been trying to understand the present crisis among banks, stock market crashes and high risk investments such as Hedge Funds . I have been trying to unravel what has happened and to understand something of the nature and extent of present system. Far from suggesting that the following is an accurate description I would welcome any confirmation, amendments and enlightenment from those circulated.

What is a bank today ? In the UK banks are still treated in law as facilities for paying in and drawing out money for cheques, although the use of cheques has declined since the use of credit cards, hole in the wall cash machines and internet banking; the provision of current accounts for individuals, organisations and businesses with standing orders and direct debit's a feature. Banks also loan money to the public, organisations and other banks offering interest and they also make loans, usually at a high rate of interest, and the difference between income from services and loans and expenditure on borrowing pays the overheads and dividends to share holders, or that is theory of it. Some of the other services should and usually are cost effective such as storage of valuables and issuing of currency

I do not know enough of the history of banking to say when this traditional and basic approach changed and there was greater emphasise on the bank engaging in investments and trading with a view to increasing profitability.

This is more than buying and selling commodities, currencies and shares in all there many forms for individual customers and the management of investment portfolios, but when they became major players in the markets on their own behalf, whether directly investing in new ventures, underwriting share issues, where my understanding this means buying any new stock which are not taken up by other individual and corporate investors. After the great stock market crash of 1929 it was decided to separate the commercial side of banking from the investment functions but this then changed as confidence re-established with the consequence that ordinary deposit money and cash holdings became vulnerable if the investment side made major mistakes.

There has been much talk of managers taking more and more risks in order to increase their personal bonuses and the precipitating cause being the offering mortgages to those who could not afford payments. I do not pretend to understand the extent and complexity of the Hedge Investment development but this to be the actual cause of the Stock market crashing and Banks in a panic, so here goes my understanding.

I am a senior manager of an investment bank with responsibility for launching and managing with others a new Hedge Fund of £1 billion and because of the standing of my bank and its track record the fund is subscribed, including funds invested by my own bank. In 2005 there were 196 of such funds with assets of more than $1 billion and a total of $1 trillion which is more than the USA and British Government have out in to rescue and make stable the whole bank sector in the two countries. A year later the assets involved in Hedge Funding in the USA had increased to $ 1.4 Trillion

The usual administrative charge top sliced from the fund for management costs ( annual salaries of the managers and support staff and staffing and premises overheads is 2%, and in this instance it is $20 million. However the management cost you would be quoted for investing your individual millions is 2 to 20%. The 2% is taken out of the fund immediately but the 20% depends on the fund making a profit. Given this incentive the fund chief executive recruit's the best in the business and they out perform everyone else making a profit of $200 million. So on top of their combined salaries which say came to 10 million they have combined individual bonuses of say 10 million with the balance going into dividends and bank asset accumulation. An investor with $10 million has seen his asset increased to $11,6 million. However Performance charges for bonuses and bank profits are known to be as high as 50% of Fund profits. The position has changed so that in order qualify for the performance charge in the second year of the fund the profit on which the fee is made is the difference between the 20% reached at year end 1 and that at end year 2. Say the profit is 250 million so fund Performance charge is not 50 million but 20% of the additional 50 million increase which is 10 million.

This means that in order to get greater bonuses the investments become more speculative In order to make the profits managers adopt an extraordinary range of approaches on a global basis taking account that this offer 24 hour trading. It also has to be understood that much is now made of sophisticated mathematical buying and selling models which are computerised and can be automatically triggered. If there is major movement in one area of activity in one time zone the computer will automatically buy or sell, rather like the auto pilot landing and take off as well as setting direction on a modern jet plane.

One activity of fund managers the purchase of distressed debt. So if it looks as if the position of an activity is going bad say loans given to people who will have difficulty paying their mortgages as in the USA or here in the UK loans to buy properties to rent where buyer was willing for just to balance the interest on the loans because the increases in value of the property would create profit when it was sold. Sometimes the loan would be given for 125% of the purchased property value to cover some adaptation and initial shortfall in rent income. Major problems arise if people are reluctant to move into better accommodation with higher rents and the lower high price and lack of sales makes it difficult to quickly sell the asset at a time when all ones other costs are going.

Another approach is to exploit pricing differences when companies merge so the proposed merger of between Lloyds and HBOS will have attracted the attention of Hedge Fund Managers. More familiar is asset stripping, taking controlling interests in individual companies and then dividing up parts to gain on the price paid for taking control.

Funds were also able to buy and sell a share at the same time making pure profits without actually putting any money up front. I used to do this over one glorious period with small priced shares. I would pick a low cost share that was priced at say 2p which went up say to 3p over the course of a day or a couple of days.. I bought say 50000 of these shares and would have had to pay £1000 if I had kept them beyond the trading period, but I sold them before this for £1500, less one dealing charge, it would have been two had I kept them beyond the trading period so that the balance was pure profit and during this period I made three profits of £1000 in three successive weeks. I even persuaded the bank manager to loan me £5000 to increase my stake showing him list of 100 trades without a loss although the lowest profit was £9. I had increased my original £1000 to £7000 if I cashed ion going shares at the same price so even if I lost all the additional £500 of loan money I was still in overall profit doubling my original stake.

Obviously you have to keep close to the market, Reading the Investors Chronicle and watching share price movement through available programmes and telephone information for current prices and I had two brokers one by telephone and one using the internet willing for to give me some leverage i.e. I could buy and sell with sum more than the value of shares bought and held from the firm as long as I closed positions within one Trading account period then of two weeks with settlement a week later.

Alas on one bad day I commenced to lose almost everything gained gone to cricket in the days when the mobile phone was huge and rare and I was away from my computer, I hope they would bounce back but they fell and fell. When years later I did the final accounting I think I had invested over £100000 and sold for £103000 on an actual real money stake. And even this profit was less was less as I had to keep some shares for sometime while paying interest on the loan and was bailed out by government selling off shares such as the BT Telephone and Electricity companies.

I mention this because Hedge fund managers also borrow money against their assets in order to make short term investments. There is one instance in the USA in 1988 where a firm which collapsed had a base of $4 billon but had borrowed 30 times this amount. If the fund is $1 billion and you borrow another $9 billion which is invested all in one class of stocks and they suddenly drop by 10% and are required to sell them within one trading period you will have lost all your original £1 billion and if they fell 20% as banking shares have done you would have lost all your $1 billion and owe another $1 billion.

Where investments are of a short term nature you do not just buy and sell shares, but also sell shares you do not have on the basis that you will be able to buy them later. Because you expect the price to fall then rise the loss or profit can be limitless. This is why the market is in free fall because Hedge and other funders have been selling shares they did not own say banks stocks at £200 dollars a share and wait and wait for them to fall as low possible to buy them back at say $50 making a profit of $150 on every share, say 1 million shares 150 million profit less dealing charges and interest on the borrowed money. Because of deregulation, Hedge funds operate in almost complete secrecy so no one outside the management knows what they are going to do, when and how until they do it.

Many of the funds are also offshore so they do not pay tax although individual investors will have to declare the profits they receive, but governments will not get their slices directly from the fund itself. While New York is the leading nation in Hedge funds totalling in the trillion of dollars, London is the European Capital with in 2007 £200 billion managed in the city. Australia is the Asia Pacific Capital involved with about a quarter of the $140 billion. It will be appreciated that all this money around $ 2 trillion in terms of actual money assets is kept in banks but the loans will also have come from banks who as has been shown have made loans significantly greater than the deposits held. With a modest leverage of 5 $2 trillion of real assets will be matched by £10 trillion of loans

This puts into perspective the suggestion that individuals who have run up credit cards bills are somehow collectively responsible, or those who have bought low price housing and then find themselves out of work, while fund managers having been giving themselves millions from trading with borrowed money.

The problem is that pension funds will have joined in buying into Hedge Funds along with Local authorities in the UK taking higher rates of Interest offered by Icelandic Banks who loaned the money to Hedge Funds managed back in London, or Banks in London buying toxic loans from American Mortgage Banks and on and on. Given the awareness of all this , it is not surprising that the banks stop lending to the likes of you and me and each other until they can work out how to prevent a situation where everyone again asked for the money they had deposited the greater part of it would be there/ This will affects some businesses who operated at the margin, trying to progress too quickly for their asset base and trading stake and cannot get loans to keep them going, and it will affect companies who sell everything from holidays to cars and financial management advice because the likes of you and me decide not to spend at what is usually the great buying time of the year in the two months before Christmas, so these firms and stores instead of taking on more staff will take less and will not be able to offer raises to meet the increased cost of energy and food, so even less will be bought and sold. Having a presidential and national election in the USA does not help., A New York London world wide affecting plan is required hence the meetings this weekend are crucial. Finding out if what I have found it does explain what happened and why will need to come later but unless the facts can be established and shared we will not be able to prevent it happening again. The role of Government needs to be looked at as well as the easy target of fund managers earning their money.

I enjoyed the last 15 minutes of England's World Cup Qualifier which was won 5.1. I also looked in on the X Factor after watching the latest episode of Merlin. However I was constantly switching channels during the talent contest because of an interesting programme on the designed building of the year which went to a 188 housing developments in Cambridge,

Although I had the roast for lunch this evening I had a light cuppa soup and a pasta dish with spicy meatballs and grapes. I drank one bottle of beer during the match.

Brideshead Revisited DVD set 1

After a restless night of my own making, staying up first at the computer as I did not feel tired and then restless in bed as idea possessed my being and I could not break free of them. I got up and made myself a milky drink and some toast and it was nearly six am before I went back to bed and concentrated on relaxing and sleep and midday when I awoke without have needed to get up, an amazing length of time, the first such period for many, many years.

My first action was to turn on the news which was grim as stock markets plummeted around the world once more. I determined to get to the root of the present financial situation which was to do with the investment operating structure of banks, that is the actions which bankers have taken to increase the their personal wealth and where the root mechanism has been the development of Hedge Funds and the extent to which Fund Managers not only charged a management fee but took a significant share in the profits and in order to increase this borrowed money several times the actual value of the real money invested in the funds,. So that in certain situations they could lose more than the total invested in the fund. Most people do not appreciate that when they put money in a bank it does not lay there but it used and has been put into Hedge fund because this was the way its traders could make more money for themselves. Say the bank creates a fund for £1 billion, It will charge a book administering fee of 2% that is £20 million a year, so the fund will have to increase by £20 million to meet its overheads. It then offers pay depositors say 7% gross that is £70 million. So It has to make a profit each year of 9% to break even. The task is therefore to create a greater profit and such profits are usually only made on the more risky and speculative ventures. In order to encourage the actual fund managers within a bank to take risk and make greater profits Hedge Funds are allowed by law to pay the manager a share of the profits usually around 20% but in one collapsed fund the amount was over 40%. Say the fund Managers make the bank an additional profit on the year of 10% so that the core fund increases from 1 Billion to I Billion and 190 million at year end. I have said that 90 million was already committed as administration fees, and interest payment to depositors, and form the additional £100 million available the individual fund managers will share bonuses of £20 million. The Bank still has £80 million for payments in corporation taxes and dividends to share holders.

However in order for Investment Hedge Fund Managers to get a bonus in the following year they much achieve a better profit margin that achieved the year before so in theory they will get no bonus if the total fund of £1billion does not increase beyond £ I billion and 190 million. This in part is where the Fund managers look to take greater risks and they do this by borrowing money to gamble on the markets including on the Share Market going down as well as up. They can borrow several times the actual amount of the investment fund assets say ten times its value and more which they invest in short term speculations such as the values of shares and commodities, and currency going up and down rather than in the actual shares, currency and commodities themselves, and which is separate from the futures markets. The trouble began for banks when they were able to treat how they handled their normal banking operations, the use of cheques and then credit cards, the taking of deposits and making of loans both to individuals, to organisation, charities and businesses and their own investment activities together rather than separate operations. More on this later if I have time and feel in the mood.

Fortunately I did not have to dwell on this for over an hour, as at lunch time it arrived, a three DVD set of Brideshead and I knew what now governed the rest of this day, perhaps the weekend. Having viewed the first part recently on TV and then with my original tape viewed for the first part, I was able to make myself not one, but two bacon sandwiches with grilled tomatoes while the first episode. I abandoned the nightmares of the present and lost myself to a time which for the upper middle class and the aristocracy of Britain, remained a golden age for its young after the horror of the trenches of World War One. This was also a decade of the 1929 crash and of economic depression and mass unemployment and for those who travelled and paid attention to what was happening in parts of Europe, Russia, Japan and China there were also the indications of the major war to come.

There was one item from the first hour of Brideshead that I have not commented, the advice of his cousin to avoid Boars Hill. I remember taking a car ride once and confirming that it is possible to obtain magnificent views across the city and where today a bed room property with beautiful grounds has an asking price of £1 million. Robert Bridges and John Masefield successive poet Laureates lives there as did the world war one poets, including Robert Graves and another who became a Professor of Poetry at the University, and hen Gilbert Murray. One famous Archaeologist left his estate to the Scout movement for a camp when he died in 1941 and there several religious orders and retreats as well as hotel and Inns and other more recent development. Thus a party from the comment of Robert Graves being noted there is nothing to suggest the nature of the notoriety. It was my understanding that it was someone to dine, without fearing the eye of the University Proctors who in addition to be responsible for the running of University Examinations remain responsible for the behaviour and discipline of students outside the area of their individual college. The College could Gate a student which meant he was not allowed to leave the premises for a period of time whereas less than being sent down, expelled from the University, a student could be rusticated, prevented from attend university lectures and examinations and other university facilities for a year. His might mean the student could remain in college. It was not always a form of punishment but could apply to a student to becomes serious ill during the year or is faced with serious family and other problems.
Another response came with the book description of Charles' return to his home for long vac, vacation at the end of his first year having successfully sat the first publication examination with its Latin paper. His father spent most of day in his Library, perhaps going to his club in the evening or out during the day to make some purchase. The totality of this life meant that Charles only saw his father over the evening meal. His father used an old once fashionable smoking jacket and brought a book to read while the meal was served to him, a practice he maintained when his son was also present, occasionally breaking off to make social enquiries about the day of his son. In the book and TV adaptation he takes the opportunity to raise the fact that he was without money. His father became very amused by this and while advising against money lenders told his son to approach him, but did not then say he would help. This form a relationship was so different from that with my birth and foster mother and during my childhood with their eldest sister, They were overwhelming wanting to know everything I did when not with them, a practice they continued throughout their life and I which I grew to find irritating because it would mean that either they did not or could not understand what I was about, or they would become over anxious if I revealed something of reality, or censorious if what I said displeased them. Therefore it was better to say nothing. Usually I just needed space to recover from the experience of the day and to reflect on what had happened and how I had reacted. In fact the instrument for the behaviour of his father was to due in part to his aunt who had stepped in when his mother had died, determining that they should a three course meal every night, going for holidays at the seaside in a guest house and trying to control every aspect of his father's life. He had thus retreated into his own world when the opportunity arose and as a consequence Charles became a stranger in his own home.

They way they behaved to us was rejection of course, painful then, and for long after, until peace came and in my case relationships were as they had never been before.
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Evelyn Waugh refers to weeks of sultry weather which in recent times appears to occur only one or twice a decade.

During the next chapter and the next episode of the TV adaptation I was also struck by how we take our individual environments for granted not seeing it, and ourselves, as other's do. In this instance it is the beauty of his home and its furnishing which Sebastian takes for granted and which creates wonder for Charles and to covet. The book helps to explain why Charles fell in love with the house as much as he did with Sebastian. His connection with the house him to paint one of the unused area, a kind of garden room which immediately brought back memories of the house at Teddington which had a sunken garden with a coal storage cellar area to the from and a large 350 square feet area if not more room with French window doors to the garden and which was left in a poor state and where I never got round to doing anything with.

Taking our homes for granted is a healthy form of security and comfort bringing which we all need as defence against the realities of the external world. Problems arise when behaviour within the environment varies excessively from the norm. In this instance the two young men who already shared a love of champagne and other wine to excess, find that the wine cellar, although depleted, had sufficient stock of fine wines for ten years, and set about an orgy of wine drinking which starts off as a tasting. I break off to think of the young city traders and those in the banking houses who have gone out to lunch or arranged an evening dinner club to celebrate the latest bonuses in hundred of thousands of pounds squandering twenty, forty and fifty thousand on the wine bill alone.

During this episode there is the first conversations about religion.. One while sunbathing on the roof of the house. That the eldest son wanted to become a Jesuit having attended a Catholic Public School which had caused their mother a problem, a wonderful development in terms of her religion but not for the eldest son who was required to take responsibility for the estate and its obligations. Sebastian reveals that his father had only converted on marrying and reverted as soon as he ran off to Venice to live in sin with an Italian catholic of the kind which is common in the Mediterranean and Italy in particular when one can enjoy all of life's pleasure as long as one is genuinely contrite when going to confession and being granted forgiveness. In the film the mistress is more worldly while in the book and TV adaptation more of lady and with a great interest in the arts and culture. She is also the most insightful of all the characters in the book. Charles talks of his lack of belief, originating in his home, his father and his cousin who saw the Church of England as a social convention. Even those who taught him Divinity at school drew attention that the bible could not be trusted as an accurate statements of what was said and meant.

One of the first acts of his father was to insist that Sebastian went to Eton which led to following the parental pathway of happiness being equated with pleasure. The problem for Sebastian is that he is torn between the different behaviour and views of his parents and as will be revealed, the influence of the mother representing the Catholic conscience with its duties and obligations was stronger than both men were able to admit to themselves even if they run away from her and behave in ways they know she will disapprove.

There is a second discussion over dinner first with the elder brother over the ability to pay for the priest who attends the family chapel his revealing that although a puritanical and pious man, the young heir is already taking the financial management of the estate seriously, recognising that the family could just as well attend their local parish church along with everyone else.

The second conversation of the evening is with Cordelia, the younger sister, over the admission by Charles that he is non believer. Charles asks if religion is such a normal everyday subject of conversation which Cordelia confirms, being equally surprised that anyone should find this situation remarkable.

And then the two men go to Venice dividing he money for a first class ticket and sleeper for two third class tickets and then living off Sebastian's father for the fortnight. The account of their slow journey among the poor reminded me of the time I went across Europe to Sweden by train with a party of students from Ruskin.

The visit to Venice is a vary different experience from that portrayed in the film. Julia. Sebastian's sister is not part of the two weeks which are spent being a tourist with the help of the mistress of Sebastian's father and her Italian Nobleman friend. Not only is there no romance with Julia but this not the time of the long period of Carnival when Venetians and visitors do everything to excess.

I have written before of my one memorable day visit to Venice having camped in a municipal site outside the Lagoon the night before, rising early and taking a public launch to the Piazza Saint Marco and wondered the streets, going across bridges visiting the houses, the palaces and the churches. This is my memory retained with the help of two water colour prints of the grand canal which I have to this day and are hanging in the garage part of the patio. To do this two weeks, to live in sumptuous surroundings what bliss, Perhaps it would have been not to have gone than to only have had had a taste. The difference between my experience and having studied and live in the City of Oxford fro five years and to felt part of both University and City Life. However to have been involved in the periphery, to have had tasters, invited to the dining club and ending drinking into the early hours while other members of the Party played billiards at the top of Nuffield tower; to have be invited to dine at the Union as guest speaker with Prime Minister to be Ted Heath at the next table with the University Conservative Association but always knowing that to have gone up as undergraduate to a college, that would have been the experience, and going as an ex Ruskin for three years, skipping the first Public Examination that would have been better, but never as good as doing so in the season of such things. In idealist, a romantic and a traditionalist in many aspects of living, I know I am.

I and my companion did take a brief look at the Lido which in the TV Adaptation is shown on a typically English summers day, wet and dull. That evening we motored the short distance to the Adriatic coast and had an accident in the car on my way into town on my own involving a cyclist who fortunately was not injured and therefore I was not locked up. I then had driven the car minus its cracked windscreen into a storm drain ditch on the camp site and where four English young men help us to get the car back on the path about one am. The following morning was spent clearing bits of windscreen from inside the car and finding a garage with a replacement, not available until the following day, a Monday. Sunday was the one day on he trip when we were sun bathe on a beach. It was lunchtime when we were able to do so. It then poured with rain as only it can in Italy on a summers day so we packed up and went to the pictures. I was reminded how quickly the weather can change.

The two men return to their respective homes and for Charles there is just one overnight stay at the family home with his father who reproaches his son for not keeping in touch although making it plain his actual and their mutual disinterest in each other.

At Oxford the first term of each year is called Michaelmass. But it is the names given to Easter and Summer which continues to puzzle me, did I ever know with Easter in called Hilary, at Cambridge it is Lent. Although the dates of each term varies the length in the 1960's was precise. 70 days for Micklemass and Trinity and 70 for Hilary. I have been unable to find out on the internet so I was forced to go in search of my library copy of the Oxford University Handbook 1961 but as I feared there is no explanation offered.

The return of the two men to Oxford marks a significant change in their relationship matched by the Autumn air and closing in evening darkness. Sebastian has become gloomy as a fellow of All Souls has been employed by his mother to write a family history and to keep and eye on him during term and he is also pursue by a priest, He comments that he is being asked to confirm, joining things like the League of Nations Youth, I joined the Jacarei and War on Want societies as well as the Labour Club and the CND, and then Crime a Challenge Society. Sebastian added and reading Isis, the student produced weekly, where I had two important covers for articles on Prison and Homelessness. And then drink coffee in he mornings at the Cadena café which used to be vast place now replaced by an indoor shopping centre and where I also went from time to time to meet up with other Ruskin students when in town during the period of the first year when based at Headington Hall in the Old village or to meet the few University contacts very occasionally. There was no time for socialising and attendance at the societies and clubs was significantly reduced for that second year when I was able to study for the Post graduate Public and Social Administration Diploma, undertaking practical work places in the vacations, the Family service Unit working in Salford Manchester, the Surrey probation Service and the Manchester Children's Department. The mood of change was expressed by the news that Anthony Blanche had gone down, left of his own accord, gone to Munich and was said to have taken up with a policeman.

The change in their relationship from the highs of summer was forecast by the mistress of Sebastian's father who commented that Idealist and romantic love was something particular to the English and German people although in England it happened later and that Sebastian was attempting to cling to his childhood, with his Teddy Bear and constant visits to see his nanny. The Mediterranean approach is more earthy and sensual. It was she who forecast that the intensity of the relationship would end with time, especially for Charles, whereas for Sebastian with his barely disguised hatred for his mother the relationship would mean more. As his cousin had warned friends made during the first year were shed during the second and as a consequence he and Sebastian kept mainly to their own company. This was the situation when Lady Marchmain came to Oxford to spend a week, meeting her son, and his friend, but primarily to discuss the project with Mr Samgrass of All Souls for the production of the book about her brother, and no doubt to review and monitor the progress of her erring son. She accepted Charles and tried to make him her friend too and Charles flattered at this responded thus unwittingly driving a wedge between himself and Sebastian, forgetting Sebastian's attempt from the outset to separate Charles from the rest of his family except nanny.

It is also at this point that Julia also turns to Charles but in the context of her relationship with Rex Mottram the British subject Canadian a successful business man who has became a Member of Parliament and the future husband of Lady Julia. They arrived inspected after finding Lord Flyte and Lord Boy Mulchester out, and anxious for lunch having starved during a country house weekend. They were out en route to have lunch with Charles so they joined up to make a luncheon party. Arising from this encounter Charles to a dinner is invited along with Sebastian and Lord Mulcaster to a dinner party at Marchmain House, their London hone prior to a dance party (Charity Ball) Julia was organising. The three young men were much drunk by the end of the dinner and at this point Charles and in particular Sebastian was to led astray. Viscount Mulcaster was not someone they liked but was of Sebastian's class and set and he persuades them to go to a dubious hostess nightclub instead of the ball because of one night of passion with one of the hostesses several months beforehand. They go out of curiosity and allow themselves to picked up by two of the hostesses and they all set off in the car driven borrowed and driven by Sebastian. The description of the club reminds me of the Scandal that surrounded Lord Boothby won of the discrete but notorious characters of the twentieth century who fathered three children by two women who were not one of his two wives and had an affairs with the wife of Conservative Prime Minister Harold McMillan, but also had a relationship with one of the night club loving Kray twins gangsters bosses as well as other suggesting that his bisexual interest extended to very young men. It was years later that I was made aware of similar bisexual interests of three leading Tory politicians who then suddenly disappeared from the front bench, two who were tipped as leaders and therefore Prime Ministers. These days no doubt the attraction would the lap dance clubs and I came across an advert for one in the new City of London, the Canary Warf land offering deals on cases of Pink champagne and where the young lads and some of the lasses could spend their bonus celebrations. In the novel the three young men, set off with their pick ups at the early time of midnight after consuming more drinks at appropriate priced despite pressure on the commissionaire for them to take a taxi Sebastian narrowly missed hitting a taxi head on and they come to a stop before two police men where Viscount Mulchester attempts to bribe and they find themselves locked up two being drunk and disorder and Sebastian for dangerous driving.

It is then that Mottram comes along , the Member of Parliament and fixes things so that the two lads pleads guilty the following morning, are fined fifty pence today money and where the conviction is kept out of the London papers and appropriate words spoken to the University Proctorial office and the college. Sebastian is bailed for a week after their hurriedly arranged barrister argues that the young men were down from Oxford supporting their sister's charitable event and had become worse for drink because of their inexperience. This approach is taken a week later at the hearing for Sebastian, but following the worth fellow appearance of Dr Samgrass, Sebastian is given a good talking too and fined £10 and everything sorted out with the University. The two men were gated for the rest of the Term, although this was overcome with the assistance of a rope ladder. In the 1060;s there was an incident during my time when a number of college window were badly smashed following a drinking binge but was dealt within the college. When I undertook for the Department of Health a Drug Advisory Service Visit some twenty years ago, it was drink which remained the major problem. This is not to say that some students did not use illegal drugs recreationally but generally this was outside of college with London the main centre. The situation was expected to change with the develop of the connecting M1 M40 motorways and the consequential links to Manchester. It was and always be a situation where young men will be young men and where the law ahs to take account of backgrounds and future where the lives of others are not affected. With the past week a fisticuffs bust up between two players at a Rugby Club during training was dismissed as the kind of thing that happens on regular basis and is quickly forgotten with everyone moving on. However when the lives of others are in question there is a different approach. This week a young football who was found drunk in his vehicle after hitting and killing two young boys was sentenced to over seven years imprisonment.

However Lady Marchmain took matter in her stride her stride all part of youths excesses and I too had the experience of appearing before he magistrates the very court where two years later I was to become its court officer, although in fairness I had not broken the law and was part of a clever ploy by the authorities to remove march marshals from the scene so they could exercise full control over subsequent events, but it was also a close shave which could have scuppered my subsequent serious work and qualification. Charles was given for his limited part in the affair and after spending Christmas at home with his father he invited to celebrate the New Year at Brideshead with the remains of the remains the family Christmas Party. Charles now found himself treated as a full member of the family set and was consequently expected to participate in the Catholic services with Lady Marchmain telling everyone they would make a good Catholic out of him yet. They would attend Mass every day and then say the Holy Rosary morning and evening and Sebastian commenting on the extent to which his mother was having little talks with Charles on a regular basis about his lack of faith, being invited to her specially redesigned personal sitting room with is lowered ceiling and statues of the Madonna, and for me of greater significance, of St Joseph. It was on one of these visits that Lady Marchmain commented that when a child, she her three brothers, all of whom were killed in the Great War, were richer than most but comparatively poor, When she married she became excessively rich and learnt that it was sinful to convert the position of the poor who were always favoured by her Christian God. And that it was possible to be rich and holy, comparing the situation to that of pre Christian Rome. This all untouched Charles who interest remained with Sebastian and being able to enjoy the house and its location which was also inhabited by Samgrass which led them to escaping to London where Sebastian stayed with Charles to the delight of his father who expressed the wish that the young man would be invited often.
It is during the Hilary term of the second year that what had become for Charles the attainment of ambition reach the beginning of the end. He continued to drink, but less so recognising that for him he got drunk to maintain And prolong the moment of good and high spirits. He realised that with Sebastian, there was something deeper that drove him to drink to excess without stopping, continuing when he was lone. It was his sister Julia who commented that with Sebastian there was something chemical with him. It was a fashionable saying of the day just as chemical between them referred to those engaged in a love hate relationship. The situation was to come to a head at the Brideshead Easter Party, that is commencing on the Tuesday as from Maundy Thursday until resurrection day the whole family went into a religious retreat in the guest house at a Monastery.

Brideshead Revisted

A brilliant day in which Durham became County Champions, they got drunk on the coach ride back while they waited for confirmation and I tried to get drunk on a bottle of Asti Spumanti which I had travelled in the sunshine to Fulwell to the Sainsbury's as I knew there was an offer of 25% reduction for six bottles paying £22.20 instead of £26.94, taking the opportunity to buy two 12 packs of Peroni where there was a similar 25% reduction.
The last four Kent wickets had fallen quickly at 197,198, and then 204 and 204 in successive balls by Steve Harmison with Thorp completing his bowling at 7 for 88 and 9 for 145 for the match. There was then a four hour wait while Hampshire ended the Nottinghamshire second Innings around 4pm. Sky contacted the captain on the coach but he was not in a sober enough condition to have an interview. Fortunately they had pre recorded interviews in the hope of the eventual result. The trophy will be presented to the annual club dinner on Monday with those not attending able to show their appreciation at a reception at Durham from five to six.

The drink helped to overcome the disappointments of the day as after scoring first at Aston Villa, Sunderland gave away two goals following free kicks. There was also a sad say at Newcastle with the attendance down to 45000 and a 2.1 defeat by Blackburn. However Hull went and won at the Emerites stadium which was truly amazing.

I watched Strictly Come dancing after a fashion enjoying a third to a half a roast chicken for the evening meal, having also enjoyed a simple vegetable stir fry for lunch. The Do you know who you are subject is one of the female dancers, the tall model Jodi Kidd and descendent of Lord Beaverbrook.

Interestingly the chairman of the judges and his Italian side kick form two of three judges for an American version where the celebrities may be well known in the USA but were unknown to me.

The unexpected treat was the X Factor which is concentrating on finding unusual talent with several exceptionally talented female singers noted.

I watched an interesting documentary about an artist photographer, his wife and her lover. The photographer set out to record the passing of the steam train in his community and the photos are remarkable pieces of USA history. When seventy years of age he married a much younger sexually attractive woman in her late forties. It was not a love much on her part except that she fell in love with his work and helped him greatly in terms of running the business as well as the household. She liked to spend and he liked to buy for her. Such was his interest and enthusiasm for steam trains that he bought a junked train to restore and found someone with engineering skills to assist him. This man fell in love with wife of the photographer. Over the years it was claimed that various photographs and negatives were given to both his wife and the photographer.

The marriage deteriorated and led to divorce in which the wife represented herself and was left with only her personal possession and received no portion of his, despite ten years of marriage. He was therefore 80 and she in her later fifties. The husband employed major lawyers with the Bill coming to $700000 protecting an estate subsequently said to be worth $7 million

Subsequently, in documentary the wife claimed that her husband had developed bizarre behaviour and commenced to lose his memory asking her to manage his affairs which led to her copying his signature to make payments. A divorce lawyer said she was amazed at the lack of any settlement in favour of the wife due she felt to the woman representing herself.

However the husband appears to have become paranoid and bitter and claimed that he was missing 1500 photographs. She claimed they not exist and the list of these was a fabrication. She was charged with first degree theft but offered a plea bargain without imprisonment if they were returned. She returned some things but not the 15000 photos and went to prison after being convicted by the jury and sentenced to six to twenty years. The lover waited and upon release they married.

A couple of years later some photographs and slides given prior to the divorce were sold by them and this led to a request for more unbeknown that this later request was a sting set up by the authorities after the trader had become suspicious. The woman's second husband was charged but she was not. None of the this material was that listed as missing and which had led to her going to prison. The obvious point has to be made as to why this material was not disclosed at the time of her trial. Unfortunately the photographer had died so was unable to give evidence either way.

I thought the black and white photographs were brilliant and the rest of story sad but I was not clear what the purpose or the moral of documentary was intended to be.

It was bed time and then I discovered there was a showing of the first double feature dramatization of Brideshead Revisited the iconic book of Oxford University life for the upper middle and aristocratic classed by Evelyn Waugh by from just after World War one until during the second when the main character finds himself posted to Brideshead. Being one of proletarians on the fringe of the University, spoken of with disdain by characters in the book I only had limited contact with the subjects of the book although did come across a few who attempted to maintain the tradition of using college life to as the base for a non stop social life centred on good food and lots of drink, with recreational drugs. The TV drama faithfully covers a 400 page novel in 11 one hour episodes ( the first a double) so I wonder what will be made if the film version which is about to reach cinema theatres and lasts just over two hours. The TV adaptation features Jeremy Irons as the studious public school educated young man brought up by his father John Gielgud going up to Oxford on a modest allowance although his father is clearly not without a bob or two living in a large house with a man's servant, By accident he encounters the younger son of Catholic Aristocracy who demonstrate all the contradictions and eccentricities for which the British upper classes remains infamous The Catholic mother played by Clair Bloom is protective and lives a separate life from her husband Laurence Olivier. Their daughter Julia is a coming out debutante who married an American businessman and then has a relationship with Jeremy (the book is sub headed the sacred and profane memories of Captain Charles Ryder). However the first part of the work concentrates on the relationship between Ryder and the young son Sebastian played by Anthony Andrews clutching his large teddy bear with him everywhere and while this is shown as love there is no hint of sex even though one of Sebastian's circle is a camp gay, so it will be interesting how this aspect is treated in the film and if they are able to retain the quality of refinement and visual beauty.

1425 Christopher Eccleston is 10th Dr Who and more cricket

It has been a poor night. I cannot say it has been a terrible night in that I was ill, I was not in pain, hungry or in distress, I just did not sleep well going to bed about 1 am rising three if not four times before getting up half asleep before five am and then getting myself awake with a cup of coffee and losing at Hearts and winning a few games of chess. I felt ready to finish my writing of last night, putting off making toast, and to further dissatisfaction, discovered I had wiped out the almost ready writing and saved the last few words without reversing the process to save to the point that I had reached, It had been that kind of day.

Although disappointed with the cricket, I still had hopes of going to Lords in mid August through Yorkshire who were playing in the second semi final at Essex anther team which has done well in the one day game and who Durham beat last year at this same stage. However I had forgotten that it is Essex that has Napier, he who scored 156 in the 20 20 game hitting six sixes. We have Mr Morkel who had performed so badly when it mattered most, but this was not to be the situation yesterday. Essex were clever concentrating on building up a solid total without losing early wickets and then allowing their middle order to achieve a good total, scoring 100 runs in the last ten overs with Mr Napier getting sixty of them. Sky would have liked him to have been put on earlier but wiser heads prevailed at Essex, knowing that Yorkshire's strength this year has been its bowling, but as at the Riverside, the way to approach a good playing surface on a warm and sunny day was to sue spin, good spin, which Durham lacked to control the flow of runs, and frustrate the batsman into making inappropriate and wicket losing strokes.

Although the weather was fine in Essex, at Chelmsford, a ground which I am yet to visit, here it changed and became dramatically, overcast for the morning when up to 2000 young people were descending on the beach for a sandcastle competition followed by a small parade to make the official start of the summer festival. It is not a crowd attracting parade other than Saturday shopper's and the families of the younger participants, which in this instances was just as well because it not only rained, but it was a hard rain. Usually at this time we have prolonged period of one form of weather, rain rain rain, or sun sun and more sun but this mixture makes planning days ahead difficult to impossible. Hopefully the weather would revert to that of Friday for the opening show by Lulu in the park on Sunday afternoon, but it did not feel that this would be so. The day had the feel of the two occasions of longer holidays in Scotland and one in Cornwall when it rained at some point almost every day, during the day time and remained overcast at other times and is why the two week holiday in Spain, Greece, the South of France, and Italy is so popular.

The absence of any incentive to go outside my home meant that I was able to work hard sorting and scanning photographs and should finish phase one of this project in terms of the subject matter later today, although creating DVD's may take a few days more.

There was also the second part of the Dr Who series finale which I hoped would prove as good as the first. I will go as far as saying that it should be regarded as the major TV event of the year and perhaps the best piece of non fiction broadcasting for sometime. I have yet to remember anything better constructed, engaging and satisfying in its conclusion.

Dr Who is a British phenomenon although it does has a good fan base in the USA through the science fiction channel and in Australia and Canada and is being shown in a number of other countries. It commenced in 1963 and ran until 1989 without a break, with audiences for new episodes varying between three and ten million, at times second only to the soaps. It was then briefly resurrected in 1996 and the developed of computerised special effects since the Millennium enabling the present series which commenced in 2005 and produced by BBC Wales to be planned as a more contemporary programme, but still aimed at an early evening family entertainment but after the youngest of children have been put to bed. Altogether there have been 751 episodes from the original low budget black and white, many of whose episodes have been wiped or lost without having been replaced such was the previous disregard for the history of the programme, to the present day cinema theatre quality with imaginative cleverly constructed scripts, great actors and expensive special effects.
However the format has remained the same although for the current runs each of the thirteen episodes is self contained with overall links, usually through the special companion or companions of the Doctor. As With the Doctor who has to change physical form from timer to time, the companions cone and go leaving him an essentially lone traveller, bearing the accumulative pain of all that he sees and feels. This does not mean he does not become very attached to his companions but he always as to do the right thing for them and their families as well as the future of the earth planet for which he has a special affection.

There have been ten Doctor Who's with those who watched every series having their favourites although those whose parents watch the series first with them, usually regarded that Doctor as special. My own are John Pertwee1970-1974 better known for his enactment pf the scarecrow Worzel Gummage and the softer performance of Peter Davidson, 1981-1984 but outshining them all is the present Doctor played by David Tennant who is showing a depth of performance even grater than Christopher Eccleston.

Throughout the forty five years of broadcasting the trade mark has remained Time Travelling with the TARDIS a police box on the outside but cavernous inside rather like my car and the outside appearance of my home. For many of not the majority of present day viewers the police box will be a curious concept whereas in my child hood it was a common feature on many a street corner alone with the AA and RAC boxes as dedicated phone line systems in addition to the red telephone boxes that were common on the streets of towns and where every village had at least one. The idea being that the time travel machine could land on any British Street and not provoke attention. A second consistency as been the major alien baddies, the Cybermen and worst of all the Daleks, preposterous as frightening or threatening creatures but always almost successful in enslaving the world. The third consistency has been the theme music devised Ron Grainer and realised by Delia Derbyshire of the BBC Radiophonic workshop.

Thirty five actors and actresses have played time travelling companions and one of the significant aspects of the 2008 finale is the bringing together of everyone who has been a companion or assistant together and devising a way in which Rose played by Billy Piper could have a one heart and therefore mortal Doctor look alike to live with in her parallel universe. I have previously commented that at first I thought that Catherine Tate was great in the one off 2007 Christmas special but found it difficult to become the girl next door character which has been a feature of the programme and enables audience identification. As this series progressed I thought Catherine Tate stopped being Catherine Tate and became a believable Donna Noble and last night he scriptwriters brought the two together in a performance which should win her awards, revealing her to be an extraordinary actress as well as a brilliant comedienne. So why the rave review and commendations. It was at this point I went to bed last night, from tiredness rather than lack of an answer the posed question. The story, although complex with its constant twist and turns was credible, fast moving and funny. It was also sad and realistic an where the special effects added to the overall effectives but were never the objective and because it tied everyone and everything thing into the last episode in a show of getting together faced with a common enemy which was also a message to the nation at large.

The previous day I had written about the timely showing of Fallout about the knife murder of a black school boy by at black gang member from the same school and neighbourhood. Yesterday the police announced that the government were requiring them to make the war against street crimes of this kind the number one priority.

1422 Our Song, the Cazelets and Photo scans

Yesterday, Tuesday, July 1st not making better use of the warmest day of the year I re experienced the feeling of missing out and remembered all those times past and recent when this was so. It also ended on a mixture of high and low notes.

The process of scanning photographs also reminds of past times, many no longer part of my every day consciousness. This is being a positive and healing experience with moments of sweet sadness of times which cannot be repeated, and yet I am still able to relive them as the past becomes more important than the present. This is the nature of being old and adjusting to the situation

I am also in awe of the basic software which recaptures the original colours of photographs faded from exposure to sunlight and which also enables separating individuals in groups and making enlargements from the smallest of photographs to seeing for the first time individual faces and viewpoints in close up.

I have so very few photographs of my childhood and so I rely on films to remind me of those times. By accident I came across a series covering the second world war which have no recollection of seeing when it was first shown in 2001, called the Cazelets. This is a perspective on the war from the viewpoint of a privileged family living in a country house in Sussex who also have a London town house.. When the war comes the family congregate at the country home to escape the blitz and although everyone is affected the quality of their lives only changes marginally.

This contrasted so greatly with what happened to my birth and care mothers and their sisters who had been a family of some standing through the work of their father for the inter war British navy and then the British Army and their involvement with the Catholic Church and which effectively influenced what had become the indigenous predominantly population. Suddenly they found themselves nobodies, in a dark cold work, having worked in factories by day and huddle in fear in the air raid shelter at night. While food had been basic and simply prepared it always been plentiful and now everything was scare, and there was even difficulty in getting hold of the materials to make the family clothing.

There are four entwined branches of Cazelets, grandparents, the central interest generation and their children, each with contrasting personalities and interests to provide a broad canvass of experience at this time.

The good brother is loving to his wife and to his daughter and their tragedy is not the war but the illness and death of the wife from cancer. Too often these years are seen only in terms of those who fought and died or were injured directly caused by the war. There were many heroes such as this family, the woman who suffered greatly but tried to protect her family and the family to tried to protect their mother and all with great love. However in this instance the family could afford the best local and London medical, nursing care in the kind of the situation where the consultant personally sees the patient to their waiting car.

Then there is the family where the father goes to sea and becomes stranded in in France after helping out at Dunkirk. He had a young family and his boarding school son finds it very difficult to cope. Everyone thinks he is dead except the teenage daughter who writes to General De Gaulle hoping to be told that her father is alive and working as a spy. In order to keep busy and despite having a baby, his wife tries to help by visiting the severely wounded in hospital and befriends one severely disfigured man where an inevitable relationship develops, innocent but emotional. She can have this involvement because she has the help of a nanny and although domestic service ended for the majority of the middle classes in the fifties and sixties it has returned with both parents actively working in the contemporary job market and because of the increasing provision of help in the home during old age.

Then news comes that the husband is alive and being hidden in France and everything changes again, although in terms of the relationship between husband and wife we know it can never return to the position it was before.

The next family is the core family in that the wife appears to be in control of the household but not her husband. A headword where Jimmy McCardle of Brookside is the odd job chauffer gardener with a story of his own. Unhappily married his wife running off and setting up a new home, admitting she married because of pregnancy where her son was not his. He is able to come to an understanding with the housekeeper as the war progresses and his wife' seeks a divorce. This couple observe the rules of behaviour required bur rarely followed by the middle and upper classes of the day and are an example to them. However not so the husband of the lady of the house, a squadron leader responsible for the management of an air base at Hendon who uses the London home for not one but two extra marital relationships. He is close with his daughter who wishes to become an actress rather than go to Oxford. She discovers the infidelity when in London part of the social scene where she has met and caught the eye of a well known portrait painter and minor aristocracy and where in what I believe is the end of the TV series. as I have only found a synopsis of five episodes, the couple marry. There is a fourth family where the son visits and becomes a conscientious objector and has an emotional break down inevitable given the behaviour and outlook of his father and then acquiescence of his mother.

I was struck by the contrast between their experiences and my own. The physical contrast in life style although at the time I had no idea that our experience was not everyone's. This changed as soon I began to cinema two three and four times a week and immerse myself in the adult fiction after moving from preparatory to the senior school.
The one difference which strikes me now is their possession and use of motor vehicles throughout the wartime, when I recollect seeing so few vehicles and where only one relation came to own a car in the late 1940's. The second was the cultural and recreational experience of our respective families. They are created as the quintessential English family with servants, nannies, and an overall sense of decency and doing the right thing (marital behaviour excepted. It was my good fortunate when I left school at sixteen years in the mid 1950's and went to work in a local government office in central London to be attached to a section of six men, one who had fought and lost part of his leg in the first world war and five who had served in second, one at sea, and at least one in the air and something of their lives, their dissatisfactions a decade later and their good wishes that my experience would be better than theirs. They influenced me greatly although I was only there for two years, they influence me still.

This morning I needed some bread and milk but went into the town centre to the bank and to the greengrocers below the station in the search for quality cherries.. There was a mature street musician with a pleasant voice guitar and mouth organ, so I sat on nearby public seating and enjoyed two and half songs, including Let it be, and the war past and present was along way away. I continued to notice the number of mobility vehicles including one lady who whizzed along behaving as if she was still driving a car. There were also two groups of three in pushed wheel chairs with disabilities and a number using disability walking sticks as well as conventional walking supports. I had also noted this mixture when visiting Beverley but there was also the contrast in the dress and physical appearance.

Last night I watched another film on World Vision. The lack of audience appears to have already reduced the amount of time when films are shown from midday to early evening and with the same films being recycled including Travelling Light which is being shown every day. There are several films I wish to see but either they are too late or there are greater interests. I am not sure of my reactions to Our Song a film about Afro Hispanic teenage Americans because the culture is so different from my experience although I did work within a west London West Indian Community for over three years and had subsequent experience of the problems of those of one race or mixed face brought up in a different race or culture.

The interesting aspect of Our Song directed and written by Jim McKay (his first film on a similar subject was Girl's Town) is that being black or mixed race is not the governing issue and the story has a documentary feel which I believed to be authentic. It is the story of three girls who suddenly find their world turned upside down when their school closes because of asbestos and they are individually required to find new schools. Such as situation would not occur in the UK or be tolerated by any of the major political parties and by the community in general. The state through the local education authority involved would be expected to make alternative arrangements and where each young person and their families would be consulted and advised to ensure there was the minimum disruption.

The second interesting aspect is the girls were not controlled or governed by either a religious/moral framework or their parents in the way which young people used to be until the 1970's here in the UK and to a major extent still. They were surprising "mature" about some aspects of life. The one big influence in their lives which required dedication and commitment was their membership of a 60 a strong marching band, the like of which we do not have in the UK although there is the more sedate bands of drums and kazoos with baton wavers in the northern counties of England. Most children almost without exception attempt to steal something from a store such as Woolworths as a dare, to be part of a group, or to test themselves. In the same way that going to parties, discussing boys and their sexual experience was also part of their lives at one time the film did not suggest that these were other than events and therefore my impression sit hat three were intended to represent normal teenagers albeit from different family background experiences, one when the father is in prison, one separated and one together and understanding. So the culture was different but I felt there were truths and realities about growing up. I also felt sad and angry because it seemed to me that the odds were already stacked against all three and that they would have to have exceptional drive and be exceptionally lucky if they were not quickly to find themselves prisoner of their social cultural conditions. My impression is that girls and women are even more unequal in black communities in the USA and Muslim communities here in the UK as their white counterparts.

I am drinking a wine from Argentina this week and the teletex today announced that Newcastle has signed an Argentinean player Gutierrez. I will mention that And Murray was outclassed and humiliated by Nadal in the Quarter final at Wimbledon so his reign over the British need for the hero (covers heroines) was one of the shortest in living memory. He had to put up and do down fighting. He did neither and for that rather like Gordon Brown the British public are unlikely to forgive unless he can do the impossible next year and win. Brown and his present Cabinet never appeared to grasp that Tony Blair won a third term as did Margaret Thatcher despite their personal popularity Interestingly it was those of significant lesser ability who brought the two leaders down, not the British public.