Saturday, March 20, 2010
In the news
Not impressed a few days ago to read of a US statesman boasting about his having pushed for or encouraged the use of waterboarding to extract important information from evil people. Now I am a bit soft on torture, in the sense that while it is degrading or worse for all those involved, and by extension for those that vote for the people involved, I am not sure about an absolute ban. However, I am not happy about this boastful stance and even less happy about the same statesman denying that waterboarding amounted to torture. Apart from anything else, I am told that there are sometimes accidents and the evil person is dead before the important information has been forthcoming. All part of the literal truth double speak exemplified by the so liberal Clinton when in trouble over cigars. Torture may be defensible in certain circumstances - although it is far from clear that that is what we had here - but it should not be denied and it should be managed in some way that us out in the sticks can have trust in.
On a slightly less serious note, we had a serious Independent columnist yesterday claiming that it was always a mistake to draw historical parallels just before he went on to make one. What on earth does he think we study history for? OK, so part of it is for the fun of it. But part of the fun, and certainly part of the point, is that we can learn from history. Being charitable, I put the claim down to sloppy sub-editing.
This over a new form of bubble and squeak. Take one ounce of home made beef dripping and heat in frying pan. Take eight ounces of cold mashed potato, four ounces of cold baked cod and a handful of slivered (I had thought 2 v's. And I still think that 2 v's would be more natural than the 1 v which seems to be correct) raw white cabbage. Fry gently for 15 minutes, with the lid on, stirring with a fish slice from time to time. Not exactly a slimming dish but it went down very well.
Followed up by a successful foray into the rather complicated web-site, apparently operated by Capita, which provides access to teachers' pensions. Not sure why it needs to be so complicated but I suppose they can claim that all their customers are fully literate and might be expected to be able to work a complicated web-site. But what about an elderly handicraft teacher who has never flown a keyboard in his life? Now the proud possessor of yet another set of logon credentials to worry about.
Yesterday to the Rose Theatre at Kingston to see 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', perhaps for the fourth time in living memory, not counting the film. Easily the best of the four, and not that unlike the version we saw at the same place in June last year (see June 5 2009). Good outing for the poetry in the first half, second half dragged a bit with too much weight put on the mechanicals. Interested in the way that the rapid switches in the love sick young between high flown poetry, ribaldry through to coarseness, poking fun through to angry abuse were brought out in this rendering. In the way that it did not seem to matter that Titania was no longer in the first flush of youth. Perhaps having boys do the womens' parts would not seem to matter once one got started. Oberon (Charles Edwards) much better than on the last occasion, although teetering on the edge of parody. Puck and Quince good. Bottom good but a touch overcooked.
Now given that mechanicals of the day would probably be fairly intelligent and thoughtful chaps, possibly literate, it is just possible that they would play the play for their lord straight, rather than as a pantomime. Amateur dramatists taking their hobby seriously. So it would be interesting to see a production of AMSND which took this line, rather than the slapstick presently favoured.
Theseus a bit weak. Maybe there is something wrong with the part. A chap who in the first half is supposed to be, but does not convince as, a warrior king who is up for executing pretty young girls who don't do what their father tells them and in the second half comes across as a kindly and educated country squire. But his betrothed, Susan Salmon, brought a wonderful, physical grace to the proceedings.
# posted by Jim @ 4:50 AM 
