An excess of paper.

I've just sorted through an accumulation of 'special offers' from various shops, offering me discount from any goods not on a long list of exceptions, or discounts or bonus 'points if I spend a prodigious sum. I wish I could resist the temptation to keep such material.

Fortunately such offers are almost always time limited, so I was able to eliminate most of the accumulation.

I suspect that any savings one may make from such offers do not justify the time spend fiddling with the pieces of paper. I wonder if it's worthwhile to the shops that make the offers. Do they even know?

A Word for Everything

While travelling by bus to Leicester this morning I couldn't help overhearing the conversation of a couple apparently planning their morning's shopping.

She said to him "I want to get off at the thing. You need to get your thingie first and then go on to the thing.

Three 'things' in one sentence is quite a score but it was bettered by a neighbour of my great aunt. As they chatted over the garden fence, the neighbour said "Look, there's Mrs Thing's thing on the thing by the thing". To give readers a chance to guess I shall delay interpreting that for a day or two.

The older one gets, the more one is tempted by thing talk, as familiar names hide away just as one wants to use them, but I try to avoid monotony by devising alternatives to 'thing'. 'Whatnot' and 'thingamajig' are already quite common, though the second is rather thingy. I rather like 'grundleplonk' and 'twirtlegrob'. Readers are welcome to make more suggestions.

At one time I had great difficulty remembering 'skimmia' but I was always quite certain that its name did not begin with 'z', so I thought of it as 'the plant with a name that doesn't begin with z'

Muddled Thinking about Muddy Water

I've just seen a news report on the state of the River Jordan, water from which is to be flown in for the baptism of Princess Charlotte.

see: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-33382957

The absurdities of the procedure are so obvious and numerous that I leave listing them as an exercise for the reader. It is a pity that attempts to modernize the ways of the monarchy should be spoilt by something so silly.

Uncharitable 'Charities'

Certain organisations are classed as 'charities' and enjoy tax concessions, on the grounds that they operate for the public benefit. I have grave doubts about the whole institution of organised charity, fearing that a great deal of the money they amass is spent on paying their own employees, rather than given to needy the charities are supposed to help.

However the abolition of charitable status would be complicated and could not be done quickly - far too many people have a vested interest in keeping things as they are, but I think some cases of conspicuous abuse need to be dealt with quickly

 Organised religions are usually given charitable status. Yet some religious organisations operate in ways that are clearly not of benefit to the public, encouraging members of their flocks to be self righteous zealots, rather than tolerant and helpful members of society. It is such teaching that makes some young men vulnerable to recruitment by terrorists. In such cases charitable status could be revoked, so that the institutions in question pay full business rates on their land and buildings, and any other taxes that would be due from a non-charity with a similar income.

Apology

I'm sorry to have blogged so little lately - I didn't blog for most of May, and until yesterday had said nothing this month.

I've been busy selling a house. In May I was sorting through old bills and guarantees to answer questions from the buyer's solicitor, and for most of this  month, after completing the sale, I've been cancelling services for the old house and claiming rebates, and also shredding large numbers of documents that are now redundant.

The hectic period seems to be over now, so I hope to post more frequently hereafter.

A lost name

Supermarkets have started to sell a beverage they call "Pear Cider" yet cider is made from apples, and the somewhat similar beverage made from pears is called "perry"

Temptation Resisted

Last night was the first election night for decades when I resisted the temptation to sit up through most of the night to get the results.

I usually potter about on the Internet from about 9:30 pm onwards, going to bed a little after 11. Last night I spent more time than usual on the BBC site getting early election news, but still got myself to bed just after midnight, so this morning I'm wide awake to absorb the final results.

I wonder why my own seat of Market Harborough is taking so much longer to finish its count than did such places as Orkney and Shetland and whichever constituency now includes what used to be The Western Isles.

Court Dress

Lord Neuberger recently said that we should allow people to appear in court dressed as their beliefs and customs dictate. Would that tolerance attend to a nudist appearing naked ?

Official Secrets

It appears that police officers fear they will be charged with breaking the Official Secrets Act if they tell us about the suppression of an investigation into child abuse by Cyril Smith and others.

Calls for those officers to be granted immunity have fallen on deaf ears.

I suspect that ministers are reluctant to create a precedent that may later embarrass them if in the future they want to cover up some skulduggery of their own.

Rare Optimisim

I recently watched a television news programme in which various people in a street somewhere or other were asked about their voting intentions. One man said he never votes. He'd like to do away with voting and politicians altogether and have everything decided by a computer!!

Such naive optimism is very rare these days, but 50 or 60 years ago similar hopes may have inspired at least a few of the pioneers of computing.

Mr. Blair

As I heard Mr. Blair assert the importance of Britain remaining in the European Union, I reflected that when he entered parliament in 1983 his party's manifesto included a commitment to withdraw from the EU.

Pencils that defy sharpening

For some years I've found that all attempts to sharpen a pencil fail. I have various devices called 'pencil sharpeners' They remove the outer layer of wood, but as soon as a little graphite is revealed, they break it off. Today I tried kitchen knives, but none was sharp enough.

As a schoolboy I carried a penknife that sharpened pencils quite well. I wonder if penknives are still available, or have they been banned by self righteous busybodies ?