I think I've found a new role model:


Then again, this fellow's something of an inspiration too:

So, Jacqui Smith is stepping down at last:

I wanted tell you all about a terrific new vintage-themed cafe I visited in Fortis Green yesterday, called the Emporium Tea Room, but their web site doesn't appear to be up-and-running yet!

Guess I'll have to take a few photos to upload next time I'm there, and give you the address in the meantime:

Enjoy!

Sooooo...

Which leaves me wondering why I keep asking myself the question, "Who is John Galt?"

..

Read about David Bowie's appearance on the Dick Cavett Show in 1974 and decided I'd have to check it out for myself:







Yes, the stuff about his being (allegedly) coked-up and twitchy referred to in the Wikipedia page certainly checks out, but there's no denying the sheer genius of the man either...the transition from Diamond Dogs to Young Americans was one of dramatic contrast, yet somehow seamless too.

"The King is dead; long live the King!"

The Science of Sexy from sexysciencebydita on Vimeo.

Yes, I know it's an advert for Wonderbra, but I just can't resist Dita Von Teese!

Why-oh-why-oh-why-oh-why??? 

Seriously, why do otherwise sane men allow themselves to be press-ganged into spending precious time and money on activities which, in all likelihood, only the groom enjoys?  Why does anyone choose to inflict this kind of treatment on people they describe as their friends, forcing together people who may have little or nothing in common into the bargain?

Back in the day, grooms-to-be had stag nights:  they took place in the same town / city, everyone knew roughly what they were getting into and anyone who wanted to bail out early had the option of doing so (albeit in the face of a certain amount of peer pressure).  What's with the one-upmanship and increased sense of compulsion nowadays?

As you may have guessed (if you didn't know already), I've just come back from my brother's stag weekend:  a sailing trip between Portsmouth and Cowes, with overnight stays in both towns.  Enjoyed the sailing and would do it again, but as for the nightlife I encountered...made me glad I live in London!  No strippers either - what kind of a stag 'do' is that?!!

Fraternal duty having been fulfilled, I think I'll be staying away from stag weekends from now on...

Crass understood how anything of merit ends up getting bagged, tagged, diluted and mass-produced eventually in our society...ahem, coffee, anyone?

One of the most profound and incisive political essays ever written, by Robert Anton Wilson:

Thirteen Choruses For The Divine Marquis


For those of you unfamiliar with the late author:

Robert Anton Wilson's official web site

Robert Anton Wilson's page on Wikipedia