The prospect of the Cultural Olympiad accompanying the London Olympics in two years' time fills me with an unreasonable sense of dread. The official website says it will be "a 12-week cultural celebration across the whole of the UK. At the heart of the festival will be a programme of commissions by some of the finest artists in the world in events ranging from pop to film, from visual arts and fashion to theatre, from circus to carnival, from opera to digital innovation".

There's nothing wrong with any of that, yet at the back of my mind is the global embarrassment of the dome and the utter emptiness of its endeavour, together with the mild resentment - no doubt a hangover from school open days - at having to put on a good show for visitors. Don't get me wrong, I like the arts and I am as patriotic as the next person, if awkwardly so. It's just that I know that the commissars of culture who are planning these events fail to understand what is truly interesting and original about Britain.

Krugman starts out being polite when he says;-

"I'm finding it hard to read about politics these days. I still don't think people in the administration understand the magnitude of the catastrophe their excessive caution has created. I keep waiting for Obama to do something, something, to shake things up; but it never seems to happen.
[....]
the important thing is that all signs are that the next few years will be a combination of economic stagnation and political witch-hunt. This is going to be almost inconceivably ugly."

And maybe he really does believe that the administration doesn't grasp that they are destroying America's economy and it's chances of recovery, but I think he may be forgetting that all his friends are from the Chicago school, and they think that disaster would be a good thing.

Via the Submitterator, Boing Boing reader Johnny Meerkat says,

A suburban cat wandered onto a city-bound train in Dublin, Ireland only to emerge at a city center station. Rail staff used CCTV to figure out which station the cat boarded at, and through Twitter, cat and owner were reunited. As a "reward," the cat was issued a rail pass.

CCTV, in this case, stands for "Cat Catching TV."

Since the last time we saw them, several of these people have been going on courses on how to see auras. Srs(OMFGMYHEADSGONNAEXPLODE)ly. So naturally they had to talk about auras and mediums and Steven Hawking and all kinds of ill-digested wishful crap all mixed up together for ONE AND A HALF EXCRUCIATINGLY PAINFUL HOURS.

Gotta hand it to them though. They've all gotten so sensitive to seeing auras and interpreting their nuances THAT THEY TOTALLY FAILED TO NOTICE THAT I JUST COULDN'T GIVE A SHIT.

</rant>

Jesus died for somebody's sins but not mine - Patti Smith

Many years ago, when I was a baby barrister, an elderly judge summoned me into his chambers. After pouring me a bowl of malt whiskey (well, it was 11am), he leaned towards me. "Young man, I'm going to give you some advice that has stood me in good stead all my life". Eagerly I awaited the words of wisdom. A catchy little line from Cicero? Some wise words from Socrates? A bon mot from Homer?  "My boy, just remember this. Never miss the opportunity to have a pee. Never trust a fart. And never waste an erection, particularly when you are on your own". Then off he staggered to sentence my client to ten years.

Well, that was good advice, but not as wise the the three cardinal rules that were drummed into me by my father. "Always buy your round. Never bollock an employee in public. And never, ever, be rude or humiliate those who can't answer back."  Those simple rules have given me an instinctive revulsion to those who are rude to secretaries, waiters or anyone who could lose their jobs if they answered back.