So I finally took the plunge and took a Torx screwdriver to my beloved Mac.  Didn't know what a Torx screwdriver was until I took the baseplate off and found that I couldn't go any further, thanks to asterix-shaped screws!  But a day later I was properly ready.  It was incredibly dusty inside!  Despite being…

Laughed to myself driving home, listening to some Radio4 piece on the quiet carriage on trains, how a nice idea just begs to invite disappointment and the repressed English sulkiness that comes from a reluctance to confront. Alain de Boton pointed out that the reason we hate people who use their mobile phones in the…

Caught Finding Neverland on TV the other day.  I love Peter Pan, and the idea of JM Barrie spinning these stories to these orphaned boys is charming.  Sadly, there appears to be a substantial opinion (based on his writings and his letters) that JM Barrie was a paedophile.  Apart from the 1 brother who died…

Polly Toynbee interviewed city types, promising anonymity in return for honesty. She found widespread ignorance about the realities of inequality in Britain.  In general, they saw no reason for the rich to contribute indirectly or directly to programmes to increase opportunities. Although it is generally believed that higher taxes will drive the rich to other…

"In Ecuador I met a guy who was living in real poverty, and he said to me, "I'm a happy man, because that's all I've got." Yann Arthus Bertrand,6 Billion Others Project

Flower mandalas   Pink%20Fall%20Rose%20Ia

John Crofton established multidrug treatment regimen for TB in Edinburgh in 50s.  Eradicated TB from the city within 6 years. Also founded ASH, the campaign group against tobacco, with his wife as director.  What a history…

Freerange eggs sold more than battery farmed for first time ever in the UK (Mar 08).   Since then however, sales of organic foods have fallen, apparently in response to the credit crunch.

University of Sussex study examines how groups which have committed atrocious acts against one another come to break the cycle of resentment and forgive.   The researchers surveyed 180 Bosnian Muslims about their attitudes towards Bosnian Serbs in the wake of the earlier conflict. They found that Bosnian Muslims who had more Serb friends and…

Relationship gripes are like posh wine. We keep them bottled up until a special occasion – such as staying in an expensive hotel – warrants their uncorking.   Fiona Gibson