November 2003

The Guardian reports that although “Three-quarters of parents in one Department of Health survey admitted they had hit their children” efforts to ban this ancient practice of child discipline have resurfaced in parliament.

Working with those of the opposite sex can lead to divorceStating the obvious, an ‘expert’ quotes a businessman as saying: “‘I believe a sort of euphoria and infatuation takes place between some people who work closely together,’ says the consultant. ‘What starts out as a co-worker relationship develops into a friendship, then a deep friendship, [...]

Jons Journal reports: “According to today’s regulators and bureaucrats, those of us who were kids in the 50′s, 60′s, 70′s and 80′s probably shouldn’t have survived. Our baby cots were covered with brightly coloured lead-based paint, which was promptly chewed and licked. We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, or latches on doors or [...]

A top journalist got to see how the other half lives by being an undercover carer. A Carers diary states: “I see people who should be comfortable in their own homes, who actually are lonely and isolated and anxious because they don’t know who’s going to turn up, whether they’re going know what they’re doing [...]

In an argument with a british person about the Iraq war this ex-pat American said (quoted on Andrew Sullican: “I simply informed her that I was a New Yorker and that my sister and brother-in-law had lost eight neighbours in the World Trade Center and I wholly support President Bush and the fight against terrorism. [...]

You know you’re feeling old when your daughter points out to you that records are ‘old fashioned’ as happened to Euan over at The Obvious? I guess videos will be next, although my kids like videos as well as DVDs. I still remember black and white TVs and that astonishes my kids!

The Matrix – Revolutions has a list of sites exploring the philosophy of the Matrix I loved the first two movies, and most of the third. What I hated was the ending. Why is it that more and more films these days seem to blur the good old story of good vs evil and good [...]