Sensitivity and empathy has been more of a curse than a blessing for me although I do not regret the nature of my feelings. I wrote this in the morning as a passing thought. I then knew it was important to think about the week ahead and undertake some actions, including attending to matters put in the pending tray. The overwhelming majority of items are still there and in fact I can now only remember attending to one. So however insightful and understanding we are, we believe what we wish to believe, especially about ourselves and self deception is the King even if sensitivity is our Queen.
The reason why I did not attend to matters pending is that I enjoyed a morning of preparing for the week ahead, listening to AOL music radio. The Black- Keys Have love will Travel rated 5. Chris Isaak- Baby did a bad thing 7. Duffy- Hanging on too long Rockferry album 8.Blues Brothers- Shake your Talkfeather 5.John Mayer-Belief album continuum 8.Howling Wolf-Three hundred pounds of Joy album the Chess box 6.Tom Watts-Please wake me up 0. Worse record ever category. Kate Melua-In my Secret Life 7 from Pictures. Nina Simone-Since I fell for you 6.Mississippi John Hurt- Frankie 8.Stevie Ray Warne and Ray- Life by the Drop 6. BB King and Eric Clapton-When my hearts starts beating like a hammer 7.Mark Knofler- Baloney again 7.Jimi Hendrix- Born Under a Bad Sign 6 Then I had intended to listen to tracks from some of the alums which were also available but became sidetracked by the arrival of a DVD which I had added to the list to view but its arrival did lead to shaking of the head, are you really going to use valuable time watching this although it would give another connection showing changing times between those of previous generations to the present. I watched the film over lunch and playing chess and hearts, it was that kind of film. Later winding down after the cricket I watched another film with full attention, a film I have seen several times before and have the DVD and realised there were also connections.
The two films raised an issue which has become relevant for all parents landing one couple according to media reports to be reported to the police by a major photographic developing company because it contained photos taken of one of their children in the bath,. There is good reason for public concern and social vigilance not just because there is a trade in such photos which usually indicates more serious criminality, but it also shows insensitivity by parents about how their children will react to such photos, however innocent, in the future. Most parents want reminders of what their babies and children were at all times, often to mark a time when they as adults were as innocent as their children. Sometimes it also is an indication of a parental attitude towards the wearing of clothes and belief that we if see and accept the body as it is, we are more likely to see ourselves and others, and life as it is, and therefore be able to cope more effectively than is often the situation.
On one hand I grew up sharing a bed with three adult women until an age long after I should have been, but my attitude towards my body was shaped by the headmistress of the Catholic preparatory school who advised that we should never reveal our bodies to others and always dress behind a screen which at the time others in the class thought as funny, as presumably they like me did not live in a home where bedrooms had dressing screens, and a fiction created by Hollywood, along with married couple having individual bedrooms or twin beds. And everyone wearing pyjamas. Nowadays do you see any adult wearing pyjamas in contemporary films? These two approaches towards the body are covered in the two films although in very different ways.
The original Wicker Man has become a highly regarded cult film, usually as a mystery film with a horror ending, and because it appears to show the body of Brit Ekland, although in fact a body double was used for the scene when she attempts to seduce Edward Woodward who plays an ultra conservative policeman also a lay preacher who is engaged but is a virgin who does not believe in sexual activity before or outside of marriage.
The film is not to be confused with the more recent remake which some might enjoy who have not seen the original but not the two teenage girls who also the film one afternoon in the Sunderland multiplex along with half a dozen others.. I do not know if they were familiar with the original but as the film ended one said to other in a voice which addresses the cinema that was a load of………..to which I added a silent amen. I say this has the ending of the film had a similar effect on me as when I saw The Passion.
The original film is a story about a environmental ancient God worshipping group of islanders somewhere off the coast of Scotland blessed with a climate which enables the growth exceptional fruit and vegetables run by the Lord of Island who encourages the kind of flower power freedom from childhood until the ending of the physical body which although came to the fore in the sixties has always held an attraction for some among the intellectual classes as well as rural primitives. Edward Woodward receives an anonymous letter addressed personally but post marked on the Island claiming that a named teenage girl has gone missing and appealing to him for help. That he embarked on the trip alone and without appearing to make any preliminary enquiries is a flaw which needs to be overlooked
Unable to fathom the situation and horrified by what he finds after arriving he stays on accommodated at the only Inn. He is incredulous by what eh sees and an hear especially at the local school where for some unexplained reasons the girls are taught separately from the boys and by the attitude of the Lord of the island who asks Woodward if he refreshed by the sight if a group of unclothed teenage girls who can been seen in the distance jumping over fire in a ceremony prior to May Day. Putting to one side the question of child nudity on screen the more important issue is the extent to which parents should be allowed to raise children in their particular beliefs including religious beliefs without some independent socially appointed supervision. Should circumcision ever be tolerated? Should regarding female children as only baby producers, domestic slaves and doing the work in the fields while the men set the rules for society, and take all the political, professional and managerial roles ever be regarded as acceptable whatever the over hanging and religious structure. It is one thing for educated adults to make decisions about their beliefs and behaviour but is it ever justified in relation to children without ensuring they have all viewpoints and have reached an age to be able to make their own assessment and decisions? The film rightly carries an adult certificate not because of the implied nudity but because of the issues raises and its ending.
There is a scene in St Trinian's 2007 in which a teenage girl is robbed of her clothing while taking a shower and the product is shown immediately on the internet while girls in the sixth have created a nice little earner from sex chat lines and other contemporary money makers although the scrupulous handling of the events on screen would not embarrass maiden' aunts or contemporary Mrs Whitehouse’s, although I would hope they like me would conform the overall morality of morality of the film even if does accurately reflect contemporary behaviour. I first came across the St Trinian books before I moved from the Children's section of the Library to the adults and was still at school when the first film with Joyce Grenfell was made and starred a young George Cole. Later films included Margaret Rutherford and Alistair Sim in Drag and one in the 1960's Frankie Howard and Reg Varney. St Trinian's is an expensive fee paying boarding school for the daughters of criminals of all classes outwitting the Department of Education and its Ministers, bearing other Girl schools by foul means and operating various profit making scams. In the books and early films the girl smoked, this is now taboo and drank and gambled, which girls at such schools have always done and do.
St Trinian's is based on a real school St Trinian in Edinburgh which practised in 1922 the revolutionary education concept that discipline should be self imposed rather than imposed. The school continued until 1946 when the head and founder retired. During the war two girls who attended the school were evacuated and are reported to have told of their experiences at the school to Ronald Searle who after spending part of the War in a Japanese camp returned to create Cartoon's for Lilliput magazines which explored what such a school could become like, including visiting team hockey plays slaughtered with pitch forks.
The approach appears to support the content of the Lord of Flies that in a world run by school boys the bullies and the criminals take over and the weak and the young are exploited and killed. On Wednesday afternoon I listen to the a series this week about siblings of various kinds where those who had experience of children's homes, while highly critical of carers spoke with considerable understanding and affection for the relationships which emerged between the children. There was also the experience of one former foster child who had grown up treated no different from the children of the family including going to church only to have his whole life turned upside down and inside out when an older Jewish brother came to claim him.
As to the 2007 version Rupert Everett continued the tradition developed of the headmistress being in drag and Colin Firth plays the Minister of education with Russell Brand Flash Harry. Girl's aloud also have a cameo role as St Trinian school girls. According to Wikipedia another is planned for 2009 called the Legend of Fritton's Gold. I would be inclined to discourage teenage daughters to see either although I believe such an establish would provide a good education for learning to survive in a world ruled by money lenders and international corporations.
The main event of the day was a cricket match, This as not just the opportunity for the team and its supporters to reach a Cup Final day in successive years, but for me it would be something of a pilgrimage to mark a year since the admission of my mother to hospital for her final week's of life. I was quietly confident given recent results although having on paper such a stronger team might prove not the blessing some suggested. It was a perfect Cricket playing evening, warm, sitting in the shade and that intensity of light which is rare in England even in summer. The public responded in their thousands to the small entrance fee for adults and there were many more children of all ages able to enjoy the spectacle, with free parking and free scorecards and the Durham proceeds of the evening donated to charity.
The match was far from one sided with both sides losing early wickets, then gaining runs until with a quarter of overs left both sides had achieved the same runs and loss of wickets. However whereas Durham had added significantly in the last two overs the ability of Glamorgan to do like wise was the question. Unexpectedly, given the performance to that point, they collapsed and Durham had made it and the joy was immense. I am sure many of those present will return for similar games next year and hopefully some will attend other forms of the game and some of the youngsters inspired to take up the game themselves. That should have been that apart from placing on record my appreciation for the effort put in by the club in difficult circumstances, given my previous criticism. Sadly there was a situation which could affect the role of some members as Ambassadors for the club on their travels to other grounds. However, hopefully as this was restricted to a small group, I have decided that the less said in public the better. There is another match tomorrow evening in the 40 over league so I will not be able to see the approach taken by regional media although I may be able to assess the reaction of Members, depending on where I decide to sit.
The reason why I did not attend to matters pending is that I enjoyed a morning of preparing for the week ahead, listening to AOL music radio. The Black- Keys Have love will Travel rated 5. Chris Isaak- Baby did a bad thing 7. Duffy- Hanging on too long Rockferry album 8.Blues Brothers- Shake your Talkfeather 5.John Mayer-Belief album continuum 8.Howling Wolf-Three hundred pounds of Joy album the Chess box 6.Tom Watts-Please wake me up 0. Worse record ever category. Kate Melua-In my Secret Life 7 from Pictures. Nina Simone-Since I fell for you 6.Mississippi John Hurt- Frankie 8.Stevie Ray Warne and Ray- Life by the Drop 6. BB King and Eric Clapton-When my hearts starts beating like a hammer 7.Mark Knofler- Baloney again 7.Jimi Hendrix- Born Under a Bad Sign 6 Then I had intended to listen to tracks from some of the alums which were also available but became sidetracked by the arrival of a DVD which I had added to the list to view but its arrival did lead to shaking of the head, are you really going to use valuable time watching this although it would give another connection showing changing times between those of previous generations to the present. I watched the film over lunch and playing chess and hearts, it was that kind of film. Later winding down after the cricket I watched another film with full attention, a film I have seen several times before and have the DVD and realised there were also connections.
The two films raised an issue which has become relevant for all parents landing one couple according to media reports to be reported to the police by a major photographic developing company because it contained photos taken of one of their children in the bath,. There is good reason for public concern and social vigilance not just because there is a trade in such photos which usually indicates more serious criminality, but it also shows insensitivity by parents about how their children will react to such photos, however innocent, in the future. Most parents want reminders of what their babies and children were at all times, often to mark a time when they as adults were as innocent as their children. Sometimes it also is an indication of a parental attitude towards the wearing of clothes and belief that we if see and accept the body as it is, we are more likely to see ourselves and others, and life as it is, and therefore be able to cope more effectively than is often the situation.
On one hand I grew up sharing a bed with three adult women until an age long after I should have been, but my attitude towards my body was shaped by the headmistress of the Catholic preparatory school who advised that we should never reveal our bodies to others and always dress behind a screen which at the time others in the class thought as funny, as presumably they like me did not live in a home where bedrooms had dressing screens, and a fiction created by Hollywood, along with married couple having individual bedrooms or twin beds. And everyone wearing pyjamas. Nowadays do you see any adult wearing pyjamas in contemporary films? These two approaches towards the body are covered in the two films although in very different ways.
The original Wicker Man has become a highly regarded cult film, usually as a mystery film with a horror ending, and because it appears to show the body of Brit Ekland, although in fact a body double was used for the scene when she attempts to seduce Edward Woodward who plays an ultra conservative policeman also a lay preacher who is engaged but is a virgin who does not believe in sexual activity before or outside of marriage.
The film is not to be confused with the more recent remake which some might enjoy who have not seen the original but not the two teenage girls who also the film one afternoon in the Sunderland multiplex along with half a dozen others.. I do not know if they were familiar with the original but as the film ended one said to other in a voice which addresses the cinema that was a load of………..to which I added a silent amen. I say this has the ending of the film had a similar effect on me as when I saw The Passion.
The original film is a story about a environmental ancient God worshipping group of islanders somewhere off the coast of Scotland blessed with a climate which enables the growth exceptional fruit and vegetables run by the Lord of Island who encourages the kind of flower power freedom from childhood until the ending of the physical body which although came to the fore in the sixties has always held an attraction for some among the intellectual classes as well as rural primitives. Edward Woodward receives an anonymous letter addressed personally but post marked on the Island claiming that a named teenage girl has gone missing and appealing to him for help. That he embarked on the trip alone and without appearing to make any preliminary enquiries is a flaw which needs to be overlooked
Unable to fathom the situation and horrified by what he finds after arriving he stays on accommodated at the only Inn. He is incredulous by what eh sees and an hear especially at the local school where for some unexplained reasons the girls are taught separately from the boys and by the attitude of the Lord of the island who asks Woodward if he refreshed by the sight if a group of unclothed teenage girls who can been seen in the distance jumping over fire in a ceremony prior to May Day. Putting to one side the question of child nudity on screen the more important issue is the extent to which parents should be allowed to raise children in their particular beliefs including religious beliefs without some independent socially appointed supervision. Should circumcision ever be tolerated? Should regarding female children as only baby producers, domestic slaves and doing the work in the fields while the men set the rules for society, and take all the political, professional and managerial roles ever be regarded as acceptable whatever the over hanging and religious structure. It is one thing for educated adults to make decisions about their beliefs and behaviour but is it ever justified in relation to children without ensuring they have all viewpoints and have reached an age to be able to make their own assessment and decisions? The film rightly carries an adult certificate not because of the implied nudity but because of the issues raises and its ending.
There is a scene in St Trinian's 2007 in which a teenage girl is robbed of her clothing while taking a shower and the product is shown immediately on the internet while girls in the sixth have created a nice little earner from sex chat lines and other contemporary money makers although the scrupulous handling of the events on screen would not embarrass maiden' aunts or contemporary Mrs Whitehouse’s, although I would hope they like me would conform the overall morality of morality of the film even if does accurately reflect contemporary behaviour. I first came across the St Trinian books before I moved from the Children's section of the Library to the adults and was still at school when the first film with Joyce Grenfell was made and starred a young George Cole. Later films included Margaret Rutherford and Alistair Sim in Drag and one in the 1960's Frankie Howard and Reg Varney. St Trinian's is an expensive fee paying boarding school for the daughters of criminals of all classes outwitting the Department of Education and its Ministers, bearing other Girl schools by foul means and operating various profit making scams. In the books and early films the girl smoked, this is now taboo and drank and gambled, which girls at such schools have always done and do.
St Trinian's is based on a real school St Trinian in Edinburgh which practised in 1922 the revolutionary education concept that discipline should be self imposed rather than imposed. The school continued until 1946 when the head and founder retired. During the war two girls who attended the school were evacuated and are reported to have told of their experiences at the school to Ronald Searle who after spending part of the War in a Japanese camp returned to create Cartoon's for Lilliput magazines which explored what such a school could become like, including visiting team hockey plays slaughtered with pitch forks.
The approach appears to support the content of the Lord of Flies that in a world run by school boys the bullies and the criminals take over and the weak and the young are exploited and killed. On Wednesday afternoon I listen to the a series this week about siblings of various kinds where those who had experience of children's homes, while highly critical of carers spoke with considerable understanding and affection for the relationships which emerged between the children. There was also the experience of one former foster child who had grown up treated no different from the children of the family including going to church only to have his whole life turned upside down and inside out when an older Jewish brother came to claim him.
As to the 2007 version Rupert Everett continued the tradition developed of the headmistress being in drag and Colin Firth plays the Minister of education with Russell Brand Flash Harry. Girl's aloud also have a cameo role as St Trinian school girls. According to Wikipedia another is planned for 2009 called the Legend of Fritton's Gold. I would be inclined to discourage teenage daughters to see either although I believe such an establish would provide a good education for learning to survive in a world ruled by money lenders and international corporations.
The main event of the day was a cricket match, This as not just the opportunity for the team and its supporters to reach a Cup Final day in successive years, but for me it would be something of a pilgrimage to mark a year since the admission of my mother to hospital for her final week's of life. I was quietly confident given recent results although having on paper such a stronger team might prove not the blessing some suggested. It was a perfect Cricket playing evening, warm, sitting in the shade and that intensity of light which is rare in England even in summer. The public responded in their thousands to the small entrance fee for adults and there were many more children of all ages able to enjoy the spectacle, with free parking and free scorecards and the Durham proceeds of the evening donated to charity.
The match was far from one sided with both sides losing early wickets, then gaining runs until with a quarter of overs left both sides had achieved the same runs and loss of wickets. However whereas Durham had added significantly in the last two overs the ability of Glamorgan to do like wise was the question. Unexpectedly, given the performance to that point, they collapsed and Durham had made it and the joy was immense. I am sure many of those present will return for similar games next year and hopefully some will attend other forms of the game and some of the youngsters inspired to take up the game themselves. That should have been that apart from placing on record my appreciation for the effort put in by the club in difficult circumstances, given my previous criticism. Sadly there was a situation which could affect the role of some members as Ambassadors for the club on their travels to other grounds. However, hopefully as this was restricted to a small group, I have decided that the less said in public the better. There is another match tomorrow evening in the 40 over league so I will not be able to see the approach taken by regional media although I may be able to assess the reaction of Members, depending on where I decide to sit.
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