Well well, if that dramatic title doesn’t draw you in I really am at a loss as to how to ‘grab the reader’s attention’, as we said in GCSE English. Dreams are perhaps an appropriate subject for this post, since this week Joe bought a lottery ticket after dreaming he would win. He didn’t. I think overall my dreams last night were rather more exciting, though equally unlikely to be prophecy.
Last night, I first dreamt that I woke up in a hotel room with my sisters before noticing out the window that a building across the road was on fire. So naturally, I started to get changed to leave, though eventually discarded my socks since they were taking ages to put on. We met our parents in the corridor and left the building – my mother in a slightly suspect move deciding to throw my expensive suitcase onto the fire to “quell the flames”. Hmm. It’s a suitcase, made of fabric, are you sure this was not just an excuse to burn my property mother? 
In the second part, we emerged into a parallel universe. Not that we thought it was a parallel universe at first as we walked down a street, but I started to get suspicious when I saw invitations to vote Thatcher even though it was only 1973. And if it is only 1973, then why are all these shops proudly selling DVDs? “Progress has been advanced faster here”, our guide told us. (Our guide? Ur, don’t ask me, she was just there.) If you’re getting worried that the dates of general elections are coming into my dreams, despair further that back in the burning hotel I had argued about child poverty graphs with an old Tory guy.
So most exciting, in the final part of my truly stupendous dream, I met God. I say ‘God’ – to my sci-fi mind God manifested himself as a suave man in a black outfit – so it could have just as easily been Sylar or something. But I certainly thought it was God, because I naturally spent the time arguing about his existence with him. (Yes, really.) He said at one point “I decided that…” which annoyed me, since how could an all-knowing being suddenly ‘decide’ something he didn’t know before? I put this to him, but he just gave a typical evasive answer and then took advantage of my distractions (I was fighting with Katie) to disappear. As you do.
Overall, I have to applaud my subconscious mind for that effort last night. Combining deep political and theological questions with a fast-moving science-fiction tale and plenty of action is no mean feat. However, as you may have gathered, there were a few too many loose ends and unanswered questions. My final rating: 7 / 10.
The ‘anti-sleaze’ man – a fitting follow-up to Lord Levy, perhaps? In my continuing mission to get value for money from a Union Society membership, I heard Martin Bell speak this evening. I even piped up to ask a question: on his advice to the British government as to what to do next in Iraq, given where we are today. His response was to carry on as we are doing – ‘getting out of there’ – with what is effectively a retreat. Apparently, the Pizza Hut mobile van has already gone home, and where the Pizza Hut mobile van goes the rest is sure to quickly follow.
This evening at hall we took it in turns to talk about our school. Schools with stables and dorms to schools with paper fights and 80s uniforms. *cough*. I just thought we’re all here, aren’t we? All this fussing from parents about what school to send their children to and the result is the same, if the child makes it happen. I believe in comprehensive education, but I don’t believe it’s an educational trade-off to fulfil some social engineering project. I believe comprehensive education is important because of what it does: bringing people together and getting to know each other. I was talking to Sanna about this tonight and quoted some of my favourite Regina Spektor lyrics: people are just people, they shouldn’t make you nervous.
Don’t be nervous of people, send your children to school with them. Don’t be nervous of immigrants, live and work alongside them. Don’t be nervous of people, and if things go really well you might go to war with them less often. That’s what Bill Thompson talks about when he talks about the importance of a global network: people getting to know each other – and where better to start than school?
I’m taking a break from reading about the tabloid press in 1992 – because it’s deeply depressing me – to react with amusement at the latest issue Queens Park News. Yes, I am still the happy recipient of these school missives, and I have to say I do honestly think this is one of the better designed bits of communication in recent years:
Enterprise Skilz
What Saoirse would make of this I dread to think, I really do. However, it is a good question – just how far am I taking my ‘enterprise skills’ after leaving school? Let’s see now…
A ‘Can Do’ Attitude – very much so. I could get up this morning (eventually), even though my bed was comfortable and warm.
Leadership – bit of a let-down on that front today I’m afraid. But there’s still many hours of the day left to go, so I’ll endeavour to find some people to lead.
Team Work – afraid this has also been a bit lacking today: I’m starting to feel a bit of a failure actually.
Respect for Evidence – aha, yes! Now here we go – by reading and carefully making notes from so many books and articles, I think I am demonstrating the most steadfast respect.
The Ability to Plan – before I went to the library, I planned which books I would take out and where to get this from. Box ticked.
Responsibility – absolutely. After cutting my cheese sandwich in slices, I carefully placed the sharp knife back in the cupboard rather than waving it around like a demented madman.
Continue Reading
Determined to finally make some use of out my extravagant Union Society membership, I went to see Lord Levy give a speech there last night. (The BBC mention it for the fundraising angle, though The Cambridge Student were better – I’ll link to them when it comes online.) Obviously, I had only heard of Levy in relation to all the honours controversy, and he did promise to “have some fun” with the issue after talking about the Israel \ Palestine situation first. Which, after all, is rather more important. Levy makes a good speaker – with a thoughtful analysis of the problems – and also slamming the Bush administration for neglecting the issue for seven years, and Bush’s personal failure to visit.
The questions afterwards – which were pleasingly thoughtful, incidental – led to a rather exclusive opportunity: hearing Levy turn on the schmooze to role-play in trying to raise money from one of us for the Oxford debating society, which are apparently in financial problems (hah ). And to be fair, he wasn’t Blair’s top fundraiser for nothing: I even felt an urge to rush forward with money, though I managed to suppress it. He’s good though. Charismatic and charming.
I don’t know why these events always have to attract the odd ridiculous question though. For Jack Straw, it was the guy who demanded ‘human rights for Muslims!’ without offering much of an explanation other than an angry tone of voice. For Levy, the guy who insisted that terrorism wasn’t a big issue ‘because lightning kills more people’ irritated me, for being self-evidently stupid. There’s an important point lurking inside the twisted formulation – on the potential to use terrorism to achieve other ends, but there is a point when grandstanding presentation and idiotic phrasing renders you nothing more than a fool.
Now, moving on! Salt. Ghandi Gandhi [see comments] may have marched for it, but I think even he would have recognised its limits. So what do we make of this shocking undercover picture?
Photo obtained at great personal risk
My sources suggest that this salt – McDonald’s salt, no less – has been consumed on its own, on a plate, in the private residence of a student who will not be named at the present time. But honestly, Sophie, stop eating so much salt
- Lucy came to see me for a few hours in a surprise visit!
- I discovered one of my supervisors was on Facebook, thus greatly boosting his or her collection of cool points
- Dick Cheney confused Peru with Venezuela in a speech. Clearly, it would be utterly immature for me to wish ill of Mr Cheney, so how shall I phrase this… I would be able to contain my grief if he suddenly fell off a cliff in either Peru or Venezuela
- I’ve been working on an essay about New Labour – how very modern!
- I upgraded Nucleus – and so should you! – if only to finally see ‘Red Dalek’ in the version history
- Most of the historians managed to get together for lunch, courtesy of Maryam’s admirable organisation – thanks!
Helen on It’s (waiting) time.: “Fabulous news, congratulations to you both! X” Jun 8, 21:51
