Anglican Catholics sitting on a wall?

Currently it's all a bit of a heady atmosphere for Anglican Catholics and it's not just a fine incense smell they're in. Some may accuse us of sitting on a wall like Humpty Dumpty making words mean what we want them to mean. Others may think the wall is really a fence. Even more may think it really is time to jump down on one side or the other.

I'd rather like to think we can all get along with those three pillars - Faith, Hope and Charity. I read Damian Thompson's blog and I also read some of the comments. Many are from people who have lost sight of all three pillars it seems. Damian is plumping for the Ordinariate because he wants us in the Roman fold to show errant priests "how it's really done!". A good old Anglican Mass with all the trimmings and one that RCs can go to. WOW! But he should be more charitable to those who are still thinking or want something slightly different. All Anglican Catholics want to profess the catholic faith. The trouble is that our present divisions can lead to acrimony and hurtful words. Charity is one pillar we should all being reflecting on.

Currently, if one wants to be an Anglican Catholic, there are a few ways to be one.

A. Be in the Anglican Use Rite - Not many and only in America - In communion with Rome.
B. Be in the Anglican Catholic Church - More of them; currently reject the Ordinariate - Not in communion with Rome or Canterbury.
C. Be in the Traditional Anglican Communion - Most now wanting the Ordinariate but not all - Currently not in communion with Rome or Canterbury.
D. Be in an Ordinariate - Some will when they are set up - In communion with Rome.
E. Remain in the Church of England within a structure such as The Mission Society of St Wilfrid and St Hilda, accepting impaired communion and may or may not join one of the other options in future.
F. Accept doctrinal changes within Anglicanism and be in a grouping like Affirming Catholicism.

The last one is probably not acceptable to the vast majority of Anglican Catholics. The one thing the present pope has done is to accept and honour the concept of Anglican Catholic patrimony. Sadly we are disunited but our fears and foibles should be measured with a degree of charity. The Archbishop of York said of the last synod meeting that it lack Christian charity. Very sad, but there are those that want to promote the battering ram technique of persuasion over anything else.

I think the formation of The Mission Society of St Wilfrid and St Hilda is more of a help than a hindrance. People should not feel they are being bounced into the Ordinariate or being bounced anywhere. Discernment is what it is all about - and prayerful thought, too!

Actor Tony Curtis dies - RIP

Tony Curtis has died today it has just been announced. He was someone I thought was "always good for a part". He seemed not to take it all too seriously which was refreshing yet he always gave a good performance. He was great at telling stories on chat shows and then laughing at the craziness of the tale he had just told. He acted with Jack Lemmon, Roger Moore and many others. Much to remember. He was the father of Lady Haden-Guest aka Jamie Lee Curtis. Having a father like she did she was able to sit in the gallery of the House of Lords and really give it some wellie! Pity she can no longer be present for those pithy remarks.

85 is not a bad innings. Some go younger, some are still around over 100. Tony Curtis was required today. If Heaven allows for jokes, then Tony Curtis won't wait long before he's telling a few more stories.

"SOME LIKE IT HOT"



AND

"WHAT's MY LINE?"



AND

ON GMTV! Emma's got some kind of hots for Tony

Ed Miliband and his new broom (minus a few bristles)

Ed Miliband is now Labour leader and looking every inch the junior executive with a day in charge whilst the boss is away. I suppose the Labour Party is now going to reinvent itself again. Branding for Britain's socialists, or whatever they are today, is rather like supermarket branding. Keep changing the label and the punters might think they're getting something different. I've been thinking about this Miliband brother contest. I think it will be probably best all round if Dave does disappear. Otherwise the press will continue, ad nauseam, about the brothers. Ed and David are both ambitious men. Both wanted the top job. This is not about responsibility as Ed waffled on about this morning. He has no "responsibility" to be leader. It's just his ambition. He thinks he's better than anyone else. Fair do's. But don't get all pious about it.

As for his Iraq stuff, well it's OK as it goes but he's been around for some time and his voice of disapproval was a whisper if it was anything. He implies New Labour is dead, but looking at the present shadow cabinet, as Ed gave his leader's speech, it looked like they were suffering from nothing worse than having eaten sour grapes.

Miliband junior gets to have an elected team to select from. None of his choosing. Could be anyone. Dromey's in there apparently. He's Harperson's husband and looking quite good for a suited and booted former trade union rabble rouser. I fear a slick presentation of anti-cuts opposition. The trouble is it was New Labour that baked the cake and stuck frightful frosting on the top. Now that they lost the knife to cut it with, they are berating the coalition over its choice of knife and slices. The cake should never have been baked in the first place. It's full of quantative easing and the cherries have all sunk to the bottom.

Miliband may suit some but I don't think he will be much more than he is already. Just leader of the Labour Party.

Miliband Minor wins the Labour leadership race!

Tortoises and hares come to mind. I also got the feeling that David Milband sort of got a bit tired and testy towards the end. Four and a half months. That's half a human pregnancy. The Labour Party has some warped idea about democracy. Keep it tedious, long drawn out and folks may not get to hear too much about it all.

I can't summon up much enthusiasm for it. Personally I think Diane Abbott would be better at raising the political temperature, but she would have been a bit of a liability. Ed Miliband is no doubt a talented young man though I think he will not get many knockout blows at PMQ's. Now they will have to find a deputy leader. Another four and a half months?

The election process was tortuous indeed. Brother David kept his lead in rounds 1,2 and 3 only to get stuffed by Brother Ed in round 4. I can see why the LibDems like this sort of election.

Round 1: David Miliband 37.78%, Ed Miliband 34.33% Diane Abbott eliminated
Round 2: David Miliband 38.89%, Ed Miliband 37.47%. Andy Burnham eliminated
Round 3: David Miliband 42.72%, Ed Miliband 41.26%, Ed Balls eliminated
Round 4: David Miliband 49.35%, Ed Miliband 50.65%. Ed Miliband wins!

It wasn't exactly Cain and Abel but neither was it a Jedward outing. Brotherly love will be back very soon we are assured and, of course, all good socialists are brothers. I just hope Miliband Minor doesn't think he's got his prefect's tie as well!

Spivs and gamblers to be rounded up?

Vince Cable has refused to apologise for attacking excessive bank bonuses paid to "spivs and gamblers". CBI director general Richard Lambert said Mr Cable was right to call for shareholders to act in the wider public interest, but he added, "It's odd that he thinks it sensible to use such emotional language. The case for corporate takeovers is that they allow control of poorly run businesses to pass into more efficient hands. Mr Cable has harsh things to say about the capitalist system. It will be interesting to hear his ideas for an alternative."

The thing is Vince Cable isn't seeking an alternative. He just wants the present set-up cleaned up with spanking new brooms. Mr.Lambert needs to get a grip. The present corporate rodeo cannot continue as it is. Firstly, let him come clean about what these bonuses are actually for. Secondly, let him reveal the remuneration committees and their workings. And third, let's have some concrete ideas for plc shareholder democracy. Currently it is all revolving doors and everybody taking in each other's washing.

If it were all about efficient hands I'd be the first to give Mr.Lambert a flag to wave. But the BP fiasco in the Gulf of Mexico shows that corporate efficiency and corporate expediency are fighting it out centre stage at that rodeo!

Vince Cable tells it as it is!

I was going to write masses of stuff on Vince Cable's critique of corporate Britain. But I can't just yet get it all out of my head for it to make much sense. So I went to Robert Peston's blog and found his first unmoderated comment from someone called "watriler". It goes:-

"The reaction to Cable's remarks reminds me of the quote "The religion of the Englishman is the law of supply and demand". In modern capitalism there is no free market except in that free enterprise is hardly controlled. Their aim is to eliminate or manage competition. Throw the text books away."

Couldn't put it better myself. Vince Cable said of Gordon Brown that he had gone from being Stalin to being Mr.Bean. British corporations have made sure that there are no Mr.Beans to cause trouble and have made sure their gravy trains remain on track. We must be mad to put up with it all.

On the radio this morning a woman from Price Waterhouse was complaining about the immigration policy. She apparently wants 63 erudite beancounters from outside the EU to "make a cultural difference" to PWC's business in London. She also popped in the now mandatory blackmailing threat that she and her co-workers "might leave the country".

What is it with these people? Is patriotism dead? Are they so craven to filthy lucre that nothing will get in their way? David Cameron says we are all in this together. I get the impression it is not about fighting the deficit but stopping these boardroom bozos from causing us any more problems.

Free enterprise is not an easy thing, but at least it allows people to develop their talents, try out their ideas and be free to work as they wish. On the other hand, the big business theory of today seems more like an effort to circle the wagons and keep the real entrepreneurs out. Pension deficits, uncontrolled remuneration committees, slapdash safety and forced redundancies are just a few of the negative aspects of corporate business.

If shareholders really did control these large companies, we might get some real change. But all the while they try to eliminate or manage competition and keep everything as it is, we won't.

Coalition Conferences

For the first time in living memory of any living Briton, a Liberal (of sorts) gets up at a conference and talks about being in government. As a natural conservative I would have preferred a fully-fledged Conservative government. However, the voters, ever more hurtling towards electoral pipolar disorder, plumped for a situation where no party held a majority in the Commons. So, in the face of dire financial circumstances, two parties agreed to a coalition government. But before it had started, the gainsayers tried to start to unravel the newly-knitted coat of two colours. "It won't last!", they cried, as if doom and gloom were far better bedfellows. The BBC is quite keen on seeing the coalition crash before the year is out. Questions abound on possible calamities, possible rifts. Who cares? THERE'S A CRISIS AT OUR DOOR!

Apparently 40% of the electorate are still moaning about not voting for a coalition. I sometimes wonder if some people should ever get near a ballot box. They seem to think an election is a kind of affirmation of their views and their views alone. David Miliband, celebral geek that he is, even suggested that the last general election was in some way an affront to his democratic decencies. Really?!!

Nick Clegg is right when he says that this coalition government must be judged on five years of achievement or failure. However, carping before anything has happened is just going to lead us into a self-inflicted catastrophe. With the bankers and corporate bonus baggers reaping undeserved pickings.

Papal Visit 2010

I think the Papal visit went very well. The Pope is obviously seen by many as a holy and spiritual man. Yesterday's mass at Cofton Park was well attended despite the gainsayers. All in all a positive outcome. The Pope can reflect on a visit that has secured a sound basis for further reflection within the Christian community of these islands of Britain.

Yesterday was the beatification of John Henry Newman. As Newman replied on his elevation to cardinal "What a turn up!" he may well have said the same thing about becoming blessed. Newman did have a sense of humour. I well remember an Anglican monk saying that to be a pastor or a religious it was essential to have a sense of humour. The best priests I know have exactly this. Not a frivolous froth of religiosity but a deep sense of belief and the ability to share this. Newman is seen as a convert as much as a cardinal of Rome. In many ways he never relinquished his Anglican roots. Was he one of the first modern Anglican Catholics ideally suited for anglicanorum coetibus? Those of us contemplating the Holy Father's offer of a spiritual home are wondering whether we will be absorbed or accommodated. It is now perfectly plain that there is room in the Catholic Church for a variety of flavours. Pope Benedict generously acknowledges that the Anglican patrimony is perfectly consistent with the Catholic Faith (for those, of course, keeping to traditional beliefs!). But Benedict is not a young pope and a successor may have different ideas.

The question is whether Anglicans can be Anglican Catholics or whether we will be gradually absorbed and our heritage expunged. Certainly more questions, with answers yet to come.

A stroll in the street for Sally Bercow and the Squeaker

Is this the secular Britain the Pope is talking about? All smirks, smiles and cheesy grins?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1312857/POPES-UK-VISIT-Speakers-wife-Sally-Bercow-attacks-Benedict-XVI-Twitter.html

Will Sarah Palin run for president?

Will she or won't she? Are the tea bags being ordered for the hoped for White House tea parties? Maybe she will have them on the lawn like the Queen and then disinvite people she doesn't like or want to be there.

In this picture she's pointing both ways which is a telling point indeed. I see a halo coming up the back of her. She's not planning on popping over to Birmingham for a quick beatification, is she?

Pope pops in to pep up the faithful

So far so good. The Pope's visit to England and Scotland is going well. All those who were excited to see him are still excited. But I do wish the media would not be so obsessed with sin. In this case that of clerical abuse. It is a terrible matter indeed, but by incessantly bringing the topic up at the end of every sentence it just makes the issue sound like nothing on Earth can make amends. It is as if the reporters have a one track mind, with sex abuse stuck in front of their eyes as a reminder. Wrong deeds are not righted by bringing them up at every available opportunity. There is a time and a place for everything. The sin of sex abuse and the scandal of clerical cover-ups has been and should be in future (if ever it arises again) dealt with in context. Modern media types seem to revel in the bad and avoid the good.

Another thing I find strange. Much has been said, particularly on the radio, about the Pope being greeted by a female cleric in Westminster Abbey. Do those who are digging away at this think he will shrink from her sight, or admonish her publicly for something or other? It's so absurd. But I really think they are hoping for a Monty Python style punch-up. The fact that there are disagreements between Christians over doctrines, some within and some between denominations does not mean that Christian leaders do not have a warm regard for each other and a respect.

When the Pope visits Westminster Abbey today, it will be all Christian benevolence and spiritual warmth. But I suspect that some in the media will be hoping for something different.

What did Della wear to the Tea Party?

The conservative Tea Party movement has won several victories over mainstream US Republicans in primary contests ahead of November's mid-term elections. In Delaware Tea Party-backed Christine O'Donnell beat veteran Congressman Mike Castle for the Senate nomination. Ms O'Donnell seems a cheery wonder, all low taxes and little league government. Whether she will make it all the way to the Senate is something else (memories of Eddie Cochran?).

I have my doubts about the Tea Party. Probably in the same way as the British did in Boston all those years ago. They sound patriotic in a kind of airhead way. If ever they are let loose as a governing group in charge of the American way of life then prepare to run for the hills. I don't think they have much of a clue. I'm a conservative, but these people make me look like a pansy liberal. But then I'd say true conservatism was about conserving the best rather than weeding out the roses with ragwort.

Tea Party ideas with their emphasis on tax slashing and federal job cuts sounds neat and dandy until one realises that the entire American edifice is built on a federal empire. Taking a sledgehammer to the foundations won't work. The USA, like Britain and others, has exported jobs. In addition, the US has the dollar as a reserve currency. The Tea Party thinks it is on its way to demolishing the federal empire to put American back into the hands of "We, the People". If they don't step back a bit and think, all they will do is just puncture the balloon that is puffed up by the fractional reserve banking system that gives succour to their perceived enemy.

Offence taken? Nun intended!

The Advertising Standards Authority has banned an ice cream company from placing posters near the Pope's itinerary, or anywhere else for that matter, saying it mocked Roman Catholic beliefs. The advert showed a pregnant nun eating ice cream in a church, together with the strap line "immaculately conceived". In a riposte to this decision, the advert's creator Antonio Federici, a UK-based company, says it will place them outside Westminster Abbey.

The ASA said in its ruling, "We considered the use of a nun pregnant through immaculate conception was likely to be seen as a distortion and mockery of the beliefs of Roman Catholics. We concluded that to use such an image in a lighthearted way to advertise ice cream was likely to cause serious offence to readers, particularly those who practised the Roman Catholic faith." Emm?!? Why only Roman Catholics? This is where the whole concept of giving offence is often misunderstood. It would help if the ASA had an idea of who might be offended. I'm not, but the ASA doesn't know if I might be because they passed over the Anglican Catholics, the Orthodox, and many others. In fact, all credal Christians believe in the Immaculate Conception.

I bet the ASA don't know about Anglican nuns. Is it an Anglican nun in the poster? If so, could she offend Roman Catholics by being just that? And are the Abbey authorities going to say anything about these posters? Could be offensive to Anglicans. I see a can of worms now instead of ice cream. Oh dear!

US bans abusive teenage emailer for life!

I don't think it right in any way shape or form to send abusive letters or emails or telephone calls. It is scary at worst, but basically implies a total loss of the argument. If something is worth saying it is worth saying properly.

Luke Angel is a 17-year old British teenager who has been banned from America for life for sending Barack Obama an abusive email, in which he calls the President a p***k. Luke said,"The police who came round took my picture and told me I was banned from America forever." A Bedfordshire Police spokesman confirmed, "The individual sent an email to the White House full of abusive and threatening language. We were informed by the Metropolitan Police and went to see him. He said, "Oh dear, it was me"." Officers will take no criminal action.

So Bedfordshire police don't think much of it then? But what about the FBI and their nerves of steel. Seems Luke, being no angel, has shaken them up. So instead of being dealt with in a reasoned manner they get him banned for life. If he lives for another 80 years, will he still be banned.

American justice can be both summary and swift. Some hardened criminals are doing 200 years in jail. Of course, no living being could do that, but there has to be this savage revenge element in American justice which seems to be based in the dark recesses of the Puritan mindset. Woe betide the wrongdoer. Justice is battling on those scales with vengeance.

Luke Angel appears to be just a silly stroppy teenager. If the FBI can't deal with silly stroppy teenagers then they should let those who can. By banning him for life they show themselves up to be petty-minded authoritarians who should be told to stand at the base of the Statue of Liberty and have an hour's reflection.

Wiltshire police sergeant gets out of jail! WOW!

"Go to Jail. Go directly to Jail. Do not pass GO. Do not collect $200. ... if sent to Jail, get out as soon as possible to get back into the buying action. ..." Sounds like Sergeant Mark Andrews sees police work a bit like a Monopoly game.

Instead of doing his time, reflecting on his wrongdoing and generally trying to be a better person, this policeman reckons he's worthy of an appeal. Well, come off it, Mark, you are not. You bashed your female prisoner around the face, left her bleeding profusely and generally behaved like a sod.

But really, the world's gone mad. The court is as much to blame. Giving him unconditional bail. What, no conditions, AT ALL! Not even a measly morning visit to the police station to report in as a convicted felon?

It's outrageous beyond belief. I'm all in favour of rehabilitating offenders but this guy hasn't even tasted the porridge!

Kentucky fried breakfasts - DEADLY STUFF!

The American nation is yet again reeling over the deaths of people in a crazed shooting. As anyone with half a brain can hold a gun permit it is highly likely that these shootings will continue. Maybe the Tea Party types can reconcile this latest episode with the fact that it was trailer trash arguing the toss over how eggs are cooked for breakfast? Of course, any such suggestion would be outrageous. But it does seem absolutely barmy that guns can be so readily available with consequences like this.

The right to bear arms is the most misunderstood right that Americans have. They seem to think it is a right to take the law into their own hands as and when it suits them. If your eggs aren't hot for your breakfast, well, heck, shoot the cook. In this case the cook was a wife and mother too. The innocent suffering for the guilty? Who knows, but if this character didn't have guns then this outrage would not have happened like it did.

County Sheriff Ray Clemons, investigating the murders, said he had known Stanley Neace, the perpetrator, for some years and he did not have a bad record. "He was a little hot sometimes, but we never had any major problems. Nothing like this." Which just about says it all. Guns and petty squabbles don't mix. If anyone is to have a gun it is only the sheriff. I don't hold my breath that much will change but at least the sheriff has had a wake-up call.

Six souls are moving on but is American public opinion?

The Name Game

The BBC is in another spot of bother over place names. Having successfully bamboozled the British media into following its refusal to use Bombay in any respect it is now in a muddle over a Swiss town. Is it Basle or Basel? On the Today programme, Robert Peston insisted on saying Basel, with emphasised diction into the bargain. "Whatever happened to Basle?", said John Humphrys, seemingly envisaging defeat in this contest.

We used to say Basle as a country. Then Basel came up on the rails as a loose runner of sorts. Is it French or is it German? Does it matter? I think it does for the BBC. They are the arbiters of placenames. Firenze isn't on their list yet, but should the European Commission decree it is you can bet your bottom lira that the BBC will be first to defend Firenze. As for the other countries? Well, it will be Londres et al as usual.

Who's sorry now?

So saying sorry does happen, if maybe through gritted teeth and a telephone call's emphasis for its need. Dave Hartnett has now apologised for his rather strange insistance that the HMRC did nothing wrong in its handling of the income tax corrections. For a man who has decided to be called "Dave" yet is one one the most wined and dined mandarins one has to wonder if the man is not some kind of Jekyll and Hyde taxgatherer. He could have remained David Hartnett, unknown government official. Now he is Gourmet Dave, contrite yet contrary taxman, known to be someone the press and media generally will follow with relish.

Sorry seems so hard to say!

What seems to be an ultimate priority in both government and corporate circles is to have people working for them that are either powerless to say sorry or too bovine to say sorry. Having an ability to obfuscate, to deceive or just manipulate the truth is uppermost on most executives CVs. The HMRC is no exception.

HM Revenue and Customs Permanent Secretary Dave Hartnett sees nothing wrong in 1.4 million people getting a tax bombshell. He just puts it down to administrative niceties. Mr Hartnett told BBC Radio 4's Money Box programme, "I'm not sure I see a need to apologise. I've read the papers, listened to the media and heard stories of HMRC blunder and IT failure. Neither of those are true." Maybe not, but his high-handed attitude to customer service stinks. Possibly it's that kind of ability they prize highly in HMRC.

I didn't hear of such a kerfuffle last year. Why now? And is Mr.Hartnett so devoid of practical nous that he doesn't see a customer relations failure in front of his face?

Of course, this "stuff-the-customer" approach is endemic. bmibaby have just been caught out with a sleazy trick at East Midlands Airport (and others too!). Exposed on BBC's Watchdog they have been shown having two sizes of cabin bag gauges. One at the general check-in and one at the gate. Of course, the one at the gate is the smaller one, ideal for fleecing the passengers for having "wrong-sized" bags. Staff said the bosses knew all about this scam but when confronted by Watchdog they claimed hardly a soul had complained! Really? The moon's made of green cheese, by the way. This money-earner has been put out of action, but should we be on the lookout for others like it?

Supermarkets too were covered in this programme. Shoddy tricks over meal deals. I confront the staff at my local supermarkets now. One trick they play is to have an offer going for a while then take it off but they do not put a new bar-coded price label on the shelf. The idea is to fool the customer into thinking the price is as it was. A similar trick is to place more expensive items in the cheaper items shelf space. A busy customer could well be fooled into buying the more expensive item. A staff member told me this was seen as been normal practice.

It seems all are at it in some way. Utilities, banks, you name them, corporate Britain is getting the Del-Boy style of executive leadership. Except the laughs are in short supply.

I think we need a proper consumer organisation to campaign for and champion the customer's side of the fence. "Unexpected item in the bagging area!" says the machine and the customer gets pounced on. It was suggested to me that I had scanned an incorrect bar code. "The bar codes are not my responsibility," I retorted. Maybe Shami Chakrabati could head up some organisation, or Ann Widdecombe. These businesses need a good going over!

Cherries picked out of Connaught's basket

Good news and maybe bad news on the jobs front with regard to the Connaught administration. Part of the business has been cherry picked by building firm Morgan Sindell. They have taken on the best contracts. Can't blame them for that. But those cherries deemed not fit for sale are in limbo. Around 1900 employees in the social housing maintenance business may be out of work. As for the sub-contractors, life is still lived on Rocky Road.

This may be a sign of things to come. Cutting public spending means cutting jobs. The Coalition is keen to see the private sector take up the new job creation. But many who work in the private sector are feeling demoralised and in fear of jobs. Companies are recruiting but not on the scale that is required. However, constant talk of cuts just makes us all draw in our horns like a snail in distress. When Margaret Thatcher was about to make cuts, the likes of Arthur Scargill made them sound like viscious knife attacks. Somehow Britain got out of the doldrums. But nobody really appreciated that it was mostly financed with easy money as opposed to hard worked for income.

New Labour pandered to the bankers who were devising schemes and plans to sell to customers eager to let their heads go to jelly. I was one who let my brain get temporarily fazed. Now we have as a nation collosal debt problems caused by computerised money being shown up to be worthless.

Robert Peston came on the BBC News last night to talk about it yet again. He mentioned Northern Rock and its woes. These he put down to loans going bad and inferred that some lending had been a might too risky. True enough. But he never mentioned that Northern Rock's cupboard was almost bare. When depositors queued up to take their money out they had no clue (most of them I would think) that the bank could never pay them all. Because their money was not in the bank. It had been used up and transmogrified into a notional set of numbers on a computer. No wonder the powers-that-be panicked. The cat was getting out of the bag and would be scratching around causing mayhem by morning.

The Coalition is right to try to stop the rot, but not by a one-sided approach. We need a proper debate on how the banking system finances business. Currently it is all based on debt with the debts paying interest. It is also a system where fees, commissions and bonuses are centre stage.

When a company goes bust the general economy can take that. But when whole industries are in turmoil it can't. I get a sense that Britain just doesn't have enough real money to go round so that everyone can survive. The cherry pickers may soon be scrapping around at the base of the tree that used to grow Britain's money supply.

Search Engine Oh-what-can-the-matter-be?

I heard today on the radio that Google has a new fancy search engine aide. It's sort of intelligent and helps you to think. It may also affect the way the SEO industry does business. All I know is that there is an alphabetical pecking order (yes, it's another one!) with ABC meaning quite a lot to some. When I type in "A" I get Argos as first choice whether I want them or not. "B" is for the BBC. If I go further I get a new set of choices. The second letter entered gives a wider selection. Put more than four letters in and it decides to wait. It's a bit like the Two Ronnies sketch with Ronnie Barker trying to finish Ronnie Corbett's sentences.

The advertising world is getting a bit jittery. I see all this as them second-guessing Google's search engine. Mind-blowing in its own right. Last night I watched the opening episode of Mad Men. Don Draper got so fed up with two prissy clients he basically told them to bikini off. Great stuff. Advertising is something that is neither here nor there. It's in the moment and that moment is as transitory as advertising itself. Pitch seems to be everything. Some may see Don's actions as masterful others as mad. Mad Men is a good title. I once chucked out a pair of double glazing salesmen. As difficult as the swimwear puritans but far less starchy! Sometimes the seller overdoes it, sometimes it's the sold to that gets mad. Mad Men is great. If Google had been around then who knows what would be the case.

Lord Leverhulme of the soap powder family once lamented that he would like to cut his advertising bill in half but he had no idea which half. That's the trouble with advertising. Today it's far more than a game of two halves. It's like a chess game crossed with a lottery. Unless of course you are Argos, the BBC, etc, etc.

Hellfires and Damnation

Pastor Terry Jones looks like a grumpy bugger. He's the one who is stirring the pot on his church's lawn. A so-called International Burn A Koran Day will be held. He'd be better off calling it a Parochial Day, for international it is definitely not. Every right-minded person should condemn this outrageous travesty masquerading as a manifestation of the Christian Gospel. Mr.Jones is pandering to hatred, to petty jealousy and to a base level indeed. This is all so contrarary to anything Christian. These self-styled preachers should be put in a confined place with their opposite types in the Taliban and let them see who can come up with the most distasteful theory possible for inflicting opinions on each other!

Mr.Jones is best off being avoided. However, his rantings and ravings are not isolated cases. America is beset with those who think humanity is a pecking order with rednecks and bubbas at the top of the list. I hope nobody rises to the bait. This pastor is well passed his sell-by-date!

Bob Diamond tipped for Barclay's top job!

So Bob Diamond (here on the left) gets to run the show at Barclays. He's been the chief bottlewasher at Barclays Capital which is an investment bank of sorts. No more merchant banks. If Marco Polo had come looking for a loan, he'd have all his sails done over in a Polo mint livery for starters. Barclays is not flavour of the month as far as the Coalition is concerned.

But HSBC is! The new Trade Minister is none other than the Rev.Stephen Green, Anglican priest (Non Stipendiary Minister, that is!) and CEO of all he surveys at the world's local bank. He will join Vince Cable as a government trade minister, presumably as a Non Stipendiary one. This means he will enter the Lords as a reverend lord sitting not that far from the right reverend prelates. It will be interesting to see who gets in first when it comes to the problems that Mammon is causing this government.

August Silly Season over

I have had my August silly season. I find if I keep away from blogging for too long I get out of the habit or the inclination. Then I fume at myself when I can't just write down what I want. I just got out of the routine. It's a bit like a diary. In fact, it is a diary in most ways. Some people blog about their daily lives and get masses of hits. I've thought of sharing my mundane moments with the world but I just don't have the capacity for making them sound jolly and exciting.

Anyway, the children are back at school, I've sort of got my computer arrangements dealt with although the new one is still being "assembled". I can't say that nothing much happened in August because it did. However, September seems to be a promising month for political and spiritual events. The Pope is coming over and all sorts of "events, dear boy!" are popping up all over the place. Harold Macmillan was right. Nobody can stop EVENTS!