Drink, Politics and stuff

OK.  I know I said I was going to quit this blog… but instead I have decided (and I realise it has been 6 months) to partially rename this blog and carry on. 

There are a number of reasons for this.  Firstly, I want to blog… and erm…

OK.  I admit it - I enjoyed doing this blog.  It was an outlet for a lot of thoughts that just drift into the ether these days… and I made a few friends here.

Secondly, I want to talk about the booze, much in the way I spoke about it during the year off - that is, hardly at all.  I will say, I went back on it, and found it was hard going.  It didn’t take much to give me a huge fucking hangover… and wasting hours on end recovering the next day.  I have decided to give the booze a rest for a while again, but It won’t be another year off.

Thirdly, a few other things have come along I would like an outlet for my own thoughts.  I have been involved in a “Left Unity” group on “Second Life” which has had successes and failures - and would like to give my own partial view on those, as within the group this is difficult as I am accused of trying to be a leader when I offer my sometimes forthright take on things.  If you haven’t become involved in Second Life… my advice is this.  If you already have a life, then to be honest don’t bother.  It can take a lot of your time - though I would say, those who live in the parts of the world where we have dark afternoons and evenings in the winter - it is an ideal space to visit sunny beaches and Dublin pubs etc and meet some interesting people.  Though I must say there are some people who are there not to be interesting, but to fulfil inner desires they may not be able to fulfil in real life (rl) like being a mating dog or something.

I also want to use the space to place my political views on record and my views on education generally and education in Scotland specifically.

Lastly, I hit a wall during my time away from blogging - and this wall actually led me to Second Life.  Depression is an awfully dark place.  And a difficult place to emerge from.  I may use the blog to talk about that.

Thedrink is over (ie. the drink has started to flow!)

My new blog can be found here:  http://thevegetable.blog.com/ ….

 or so I thought.  See next post…

My first drink - a few days off a year.  Listen to the TV in the background to hear what tipped me off the wagon…

The Beer Prayer
Our lager
Which art in barrels,
Hallowed be thy drink,
Thy will be drunk,(I will be drunk).
At home as I am in the tavern.
Give us this day our foamy head,
And forgive us our spillage’s,
As we forgive those who spill against us,
and lead us not to incarceration,
But deliver us from hangovers,
For thine is the beer,
The bitter and the lager,
Forever and ever
Barmen

The minutes of the SSP Executive meeting where Tommy resigned as convenor are here:  http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/sheridan_plot.shtml#

FROM THE BBC:

10 days to go.  I can positively taste my first pint.  I plan on it being a pint of Wittebier – Kronenbourg probably.  I’ll video the experience and post it here.

A year without booze.  The longest without since summer 1982.

Talking of which, when I was over in Norn Irn last week I met a friend from those heady days of the Coach, the Belmont, Circus-Circus etc.  An old school mate.  My sister and I were at Tescos (you can see Tescos in the video I posted below – the drive through Banbridge – it appears just after “Banbridge Tech’”).  We were just pulling into a parking space and she said, “Is that Alan D???????”  I looked round and could just make out through the now lined face and baldy head that it was.  I jumped out and accosted him before he got in to his car. 

Alan was a strange friend for me to have.  He was a total tee-totaller and he never smoked.  At school I had declared, “I’m going to try everything!”

We spoke about that summer.  Alan and I had, instead of spending the last week in school, went to
Wales on a school trip.  A nice way to end my High School career.  After the trip, the school gave us a canoe to use for the summer – Alan lived beside a lough.  We also went on a fantastic cycle trip – one I will remember all my life.  Another friend, Alex, came with us.  We set off towards the Mourne Mountains.  I remember Dexy’s Midnight Runners on the radio I had in my bike-bag.  I told the guys – “This song will be number one!”

Alan reminded me of something that had nearly passed from my memory – when we were passing through Hilltown a dog ran out in front of me.  I slammed my brakes on and I went over the handlebars.  The owner of the Dog asked if the dog was ok?  I replied, “Never mind the bloody dog – what about my bike!”

We stopped off at a cottage owned by the Scottish teacher who had taken us to Wales.  I remember camping out beside a stream at the back of the cottage.  We were nearly eaten alive by midges.

We stayed a night with Alan’s sister in Kilkeel and a night in Cranfield.  I remember that evening very well.  It was fantastic weather.  I remember a couple of girls our age playing at the swings – but we didn’t have the bravery to talk to them. 

Days of innocence. 

A few weeks later, I had my first carryout (Tennents Lager). 

Oh, and my sister said I looked extremely young standing beside him.  He should have drank.

More here:  http://www.zmag.org/cartoons/by_artist.cfm?artist=12  and  http://homepage.ntlworld.com/lazenbee/

Barbara - my only regular poster - requested an eighties tune.  This is one I liked way back when.  I’ll be posting some thoughts later…

===
War on Lebanon Planned for at least a Year

The Bush Administration’s Grand Strategy and the Birth Pangs of Terror

By Juan Cole

“More than a year ago, a senior Israeli army officer began giving PowerPoint presentations, on an off-the-record basis, to U.S. and other diplomats, journalists and think tanks, setting out the plan for the current operation in revealing detail.”
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article14159.htm

 _____________________________________________________________-

A gripping diary of one week in the life and death of Beirut

By Robert Fisk

I watch Israel’s consul general, Arye Mekel, telling the BBC that Israel is “doing the Lebanese a favour” by bombing Hizbollah, insisting that “most Lebanese appreciate what we are doing”. So now I understand. The Lebanese must thank the Israelis for destroying their lives and infrastructure. They must be grateful for all the air strikes and the dead children.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article14150.htm

===
Interview with Hezbollah Secretary General Hasan Nasrallah

By Al-Jazeera

Hezbollah is not fighting for the sake of Syria or the sake of Iran. It is fighting for the sake of Lebanon. Yes, the result of this battle in Lebanon will be seen in Palestine. If it ends in victory, it will be victory there too; and if, God forbid, it ends in defeat, then the Palestinian brothers will face difficult and tragic conditions. But, God willing, there will only be victory.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article14152.htm