h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Drizzle with showery intervals, just like Britain in fact. O/ H nobly carried on with the mowing while I cleaned up granddaughter's bedroom, for she's coming to stay without her parents for the first time. To quote Angela Thirkell, she's already "a determined young woman of 2 and a half" so that will be farewell to ML for a bit.

I am a bit scared by the single-issue posters with no SOH who stick a finger into your face and rant. I have been involved today in a thread where rationality was totally absent but a big grudge showing at last. Anyway, I think after all the effort I put over the last few days to understand (no success) and then to respond to this sad individual, it's Purgatory for me at least.

I can't believe the regularity with wich people (usual suspects) now post near obscenities in DtA. Crass, coarse and no WIT. Looking forward to the big change now, and to Laura's return.

Ranting posters turn my switch off.

I end up reading the replies of those trying to reason with the stuck in a groove individual without knowing the full terms of the rant.


I scroll through the religious and TV programme postings as they have no relevance in my life, finding elsewhere the little gems in people daily experiences.

Loot's postings have an enlivening turn of phrase and are particularily likely to bring a laugh to my countenance.

Sue

Hi Martine and Sue.

I am definately sitting on my hands as far as any single issues are concerned. It's not worth the effort to even try to get these obsessives to consider another point of view. Actually I think they are all the same person who desperately needs some form of professional help. I am also amazed at some people's capacity to see sexual conotations to the most innocent relationships in TA. Again some professional help wouldn't go amiss.

On the other hand there are some very clever and as my Mother would say "dry" posters who regularly make me laugh out loud. They have such quick minds.

Weather here naff today. It seems that we are destined for a very strange summer. Only recently we were warned of a summer drought - well it will have to stop raining pretty soon if that is to come true.

Take care both,

Polly

Anti Roman Catholicism is fairly deeply embedded in English culture, Martine. I did point this out to you a couple of weeks ago, but didn't feel inclined to do so again yesterday...

[Remember, remember the 5th of November ... every English schoolboy/girl knows this date and (probably) not October 21st!]

Mike I feel rebuked. I hope and trust you don't feel the same way. I understand national prejudice and I do not claim to be free of it myself but I like it to be based on some sort of rational premise...

Anyway thank Rosie for me.

You had a growing public for those chess moves. Are you waiting for popular demand to grow?

Have a good day you two.

No rebuke was intended, Martine. As with many belief systems antiRC contains much which is illogical but also some other stuff which you can, perhaps, see the point of. I used to know this atheist, progressive, Northern Irish person who was completely opposed to the re-unification of Ireland (generally supported by progressive people in the UK) because he just didn't want to have all the (comparatively) repressive social legislation.

Thanks for the good wishes which are reciprocated...

Mrtine, Mike has said what I was going to say, mostly. I think I.m right in saying that RCs were excluded from Oxbridge and the Civil Service until 20th Century - late-on anyway. [Other denominations have also been officially supressed at times, e.g. by laws on Meetings] Some of us learned at school about the Huguenots - value added to UK economy at the expense of the French Papists (Revocation of the Edict of Nantes 1685?? probably tangled in the great washing machine which houses the remains of a fine education).

Think I'm right in saying that Jews were relatively unhindered from 13thC to 20thC Fascists (another popish import!), but then Will Shakespeare famously spoke up for them, while allegedly concealing his own religious allegance. Rmember at school most of us were confused by French Anti-Clericalism - Cardinal Richelieu was much more fun - and mostly failed to learn anything about France post Voltaire except Wars and interior decor. The English vicar is by contrast a figure of gentle fun (More tea?).

Re unification of Ireland, there was a book oft referred to 1980's on "what colour is your republicanism" Many concerned love Ireland, but have doubts about the influence of the Church in their lives, on all sides of the argument. I knew a doctor who ran a family planning clinic in Dublin in the 80's. Brave, brave woman.

petal jam somewhat wordy.