Home again

I have been North – both for pleasure and business – which was an enjoyable break from London. On my travels I took in a great restaurant in Halifax, The Lowry at Salford Quays and the countryside around Burnley. Sometimes, it’s a shame you have to come home. I may post pictures soon.

So, what have I missed? Well, to be honest, not a great deal thanks to the wonders of Google News and the advanced search feature (how did I miss that before?). I was able to keep in touch thanks to the blog aggregator service at Bloglines – which I can’t help but recommend to all. I also managed to buy a walking hand (which pleased me greatly) and solved a birthday present problem. And, before I forget, Jason Kottke came up with another entry that deserves a link (Another? It’s the second I’ve linked in as many weeks).

On a more serious note, I paused in my ranting about Blood on Blair’s hands after reading a very considered piece by David Aaronovitch in Tuesday’s Guardian:

Perhaps their authors would like to speculate on the other 4,500 people who committed suicide in England last year, and who – exactly – drove them to it. It might help the coroners

[Source: Why suicide? Only one person knows, The Guardian]

I was irritated by Peter Cuthbertson’s piece on Michael Moore – who I do believe does some good work – but, after consideration, accepted that Michael Moore is not only an astute political commentator but also in the business of selling books and TV shows. Therefore, I concede, he may be prone to some exaggeration for effect on occasions. I don’t think what Peter has written (or quoted) really proved that anything was fabricated in Stupid White Men or, my personal favourite of Moore’s work, Bowling for Columbine. Of course I only read Cuthbertson’s Conservative Commentary to be irritated so I’m not sure why I was surprised.

Cuthbertson also pointed me to a piece at National Review Online about gay marriage – which I feel compelled to comment on, but not now.

On this day…