We finally managed to get the kiln down the cellar steps today. It has been a bit of a puzzle- how to move half a ton of metal and fire bricks down some crumbling narrow stairs into a confined space.
Some very kind blokes who are used to moving heavy objects around the hillsides did the job. Thanks boys!
They were able to set up a ground anchor, and use a sledge and winch line to lower the kiln.
Its a big relief- and I look forward to seeing some pots emerging out of raw clay…
I caught the end of a lovely programme this afternoon on Radio 4 all about ‘pop up cinema’- an idea we in Aoradh have been playing with- where you set up your own cinematic happening.
Simon has had this dream of using the old buildings on Dunoon pier as a temporary cinema/discussion space. Others, it seems are doing similar things…
The programme was all the more interesting, as it contained a live (Scottish) audience discussion with one of my favourite directors- Ken Loach. He works in a rather unique way, with actors improvising rather than using a script. His subject material is often working class Britain, and people marginalised and brutalised by poverty.
His films are always challenging, poignant and saturated with humanity. And some have made me laugh out loud. One of the things he said on this programme really made me smile- he said that he could only make films about people that he liked.
This is film making that is motivated by a set of principles a million miles from those that predominate in Hollywood, and we British people should be proud of what Ken Loach has achieved.
The film being discussed on the programme is the challenging Sweet Sixteen– filmed within sight of my house over the other side of the Clyde in Greenock.
A powerful film, that I have not been able to watch twice- but some of the images still linger with me.
Here is a clip- with French subtitles for all you posh people who can’t understand the accent.
A couple of news stories this week brought this issue out into the open again-
Firstly, there was the story about the gay couple who won a court case against a Christian hotel for discriminating against them by refusing to offer them a bed.
Then in another story reported on the news today Lesley Pilkington, a psychotherapist for 20 years, faces being stripped of her accreditation to the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) after treating a patient who had told her he wanted to be “cured” of his homosexuality.
You can listen to the short news item with associated interviews here-
\’Gay cure\’ row- from \’Today\’, radio 4
Full story in the telegraph, here. It describes how a gay journalist struck up a conversation with her at a conference run by the US organisation called the ‘National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality’ or NARTH (see here for an earlier discussion about NARTH on this blog.) She then offered the man therepeutic help for his homosexuality.
She is quoted (here) as saying this- “When a therapist believes in good faith that a person can change his or her lifestyle she should be free to offer her expertise without the fear of the loss of her job or professional credentials. The equalities and anti-discrimination agendas are undermining the freedom of individuals to choose to change their lifestyles. These laws are leading to the elimination of a fundamental human right.”
I found myself feeling very sorry for this woman- she is facing a media witch hunt, as well as a threat to her livelihood. But I also find myself wondering at her naivety, and also worrying about her approach to therapy.
She is not without her supporters- see here and here. Some would see this as another attack on Christian values, undermining the Biblical basis for our society. I am afraid I do not concur.
Most therapeutic approaches (eg Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, psychodynamic psychotherapy, Person Centred Counselling, Rational Emotive Therapy etc) start from a set of core beliefs about the nature of our psyche, and offer more or less evidence based therapeutic tools to provide opportunities for meaningful change.
But the kind of help being offered by some Christian Counsellors, such as Mrs Pilkington, starts often with a different kind of fixed position- one based on a view of sin, and in particular, the nature of sexuality-
“We don’t use the word ‘cure’ because it makes it [homosexuality] sound like a disease. We are helping people move out of that lifestyle because they are depressed and unhappy.
“We say everybody is heterosexual but some people have a homosexual problem. Nobody is born gay. It is environmental; it is in the upbringing.”
It seems (rather startlingly) that Mrs Pilkington has a son who is gay-
“He [my son] is heterosexual. He just has a homosexual problem,”
“[My son] is still gay … we are developing a relationship that was quite difficult for many years but is now coming back in a very nice way. I am confident he will come through this and he will resolve his issues and that he will change.”
I am a Christian, who has worked as a mental health specialist for 20 years, including a number of years as a therapist/counsellor, using CBT and Person Centred therapies. But I beleive that when ‘therapy’ is allied to narrow views, even narrow Christian views, it becomes very dangerous. It becomes very easy to lose sight of the individual, and focus instead on ideology.
You could argue that Mrs Pilkington gave fair warning to the journalist, and he carefully manipulated her and set her up. It is also quite possible that the full story has not come out in all the news articles that are out there.
But this kind of intervention has no place when practiced by someone working in a position of trust accredited by the BACP.
Christians are still getting into such strange waters over the issue of homosexuality. I find it so frustrating. Even if you accept the reading of the three Bible references that are unequivocally condemnatory of homosexuality as being directly translatable into our context- and there is a real theological debate about this- then you are forced to acknowledge that there are far more references in the Bible (and particularly the words of Jesus) against other things- Greed, avarice, jealousy, misuse of power over the weak and poor, religious bigotry etc etc.
Some of you may think that this is just because I have been sliding like a liberal for too long and if the Bible says it, then it is true. And you are entitled to your opinion. And to my continued friendship.
But please- do not take up therapy.
I am longing for spring.
It always happens to me around this time of the year. Not because winter isn’t beautiful, but rather because spring releases something in me. It is a physical thing, as well as a psychological/spiritual thing.
The days open up and lengthen with a soft green light.
New life is everywhere- every leaf, every lamb, every bracken shoot is a bursting with hope and potential.
And I can start to linger again in wild places- perhaps in my new camping hammock! A present from Michaela for Christmas. I am still not sure exactly how sleeping in a hammock under a tarpaulin will compare to a tent, but I am looking forward to finding out.
The other essential ingredient to such a trip is this one-
Here in Scotland, as opposed to England, sensible and sensitive use of small campfires is permissable- check out the Scottish Outdoor Access Code. This is a controversial issue- as in high pressure beauty spots such as Loch Lomond, the mess made by weekend revellers is everywhere.
Trees ripped and damaged, charred paper and disposable barbecues strewn around- and always some idiots who think it is possible to burn bottles and cans in wood fire and as a result leave a welded mess on the otherwise pristine shore line.
It has long been a point of argument between my friends and I as to which one of us lights the best fire. I maintain that my ‘chimney’ technique, where combustible material is stacked above the source of heat in a collapsible, self feeding tower is the best way. But the reality is that none of us are really good at it.
I have never successfully used one of those spark making fire steels, let alone rubbed sticks together to make flame.
So to help us dream of long evenings under the spring stars- here is a bloke who knows what he is doing-
There has been a little more local agitation in relation to our rather infamous local land mark-
There has been an upsurge in traffic on my previous post- here.
I did a quick google search, and came across this disturbing post on the blog of the Jim Crow Museum at Ferris University– Michigan. They pull no punches. Here is the post in full-
It’s not Loch Ness, but it’s still a monstrosity.
The Jim Crow Museum is familiar and disturbed by this painted rock that dates back to the early 20th century. It rests off the shores just north of the small Scottish seaside town of Dunoon. The local population is somewhat divided over the idea that it is a monument to racism. From the looks of this thing, it is obvious to us that this object isconsistent with the blackface caricaturesthat populate our museum.
The Jim Crow Rock is painted black, with the words “Jim Crow” in boldface white, and a red mouth. It’s blackface in an obsidian form. For us at the Jim Crow Museum, the question remains — why does this rock hold a special place among the local population? Or, are we as educators over-sensitive to the symbolism that Jim Crow artifacts represent?
The Jim Crow Rock has existed for over 100 years. At times it has been painted over and “vandalized,” only to be regenerated by “well-meaning” preservationists. Pro-rock defenders cite the historical footnote that the U.S. Navy had a base in Dunoon for many years without any complaints (on record) from black sailors. Local historians also claim the rock refers to a local builders’ yard once owned by a fellow named Jim Crow. However, the Jim Crow Museum has learned that controversy has enveloped this object for decades and that newspaper accounts debating the fate of the rock have routinely stirred passions among the local population.
The Jim Crow Museum has received reports via email of ongoing racial tensions in Dunoon. Originally, the painted rock may have served as a warning to minorities that they were not welcome and to“stay in their place.” Recently, individuals who find the rock’s symbolism offensive have been publicly discredited and ridiculed. In a newspaper poll taken earlier this year, voters in Dunoon favored keeping the rock intact instead of painting it over by a 5-to-1 margin. Today, we’re left with the popular notion that the only people who have issues with the rock are “incomers” with no connection to Dunoon and that it’s a harmless landmark of local tradition.
The Jim Crow Museum believes that in order to promote racial tolerance, people must understand the historical and contemporary expressions of intolerance. In Scotland, all myths aside, there are indeed monsters in the water and lessons to be learned.December 2010 response by Ted Halm, Webmaster, Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia
POSTED BY SANDY GHOLSTON AT 12/02/2010 09:28:00 AM
In a recent reply to a comment on my own previous blog piece, I suggested that if we are to keep this rock, then perhaps the best thing to do is to make it into something that we can be proud of again- a monument that reminds us of the past of this area, and the role of slavery in its prosperity.
What about an interpretive board, with an account of this history, and the role of the minstrel shows?
Perhaps someone from the Jim Crow Museum might be willing to work with us to make this happen.
Over to you local politicians. See if you dare to step into the firing line.
I have just finished this book- and thought it worth posting a quick review, as it’s subject material is Afghanistan- post 911.
The author Rory Stewart is an ex soldier, some time diplomat- including serving as deputy governor of an area of occupied Iraq. But in 2000 he packed in work and walked for 6000 miles from Turkey to Bangladesh.
And following the invasion of Afghanistan in 2002, Stewart decided to take a winter walk across the middle of the country.
Which was by any measure a rather mad thing to do. The country was shattered by war, traumatised by successive violent and oppressive regimes and the route he chose was thought to be impassible in winter- because of deep high mountain snow and plunging temperatures. Then there was the political situation- the minefields (both literal and figurative) to stumble into.
And of course, the strong chance that he would meet people who might seek to do violence to him.
But the end result was a walk through a varied landscape and a variety of cultural/religious situations that tells us a great deal about the country in which British soldiers are still fighting in our name.
The book is in many ways of a style more akin to travel writing of a previous generation- which suits me fine, as I love Newby, Herrer, Theroux. It is writing that emerges from perilous encounter and adventure. And it is very well written.
Stewart relied entirely on the kindness and hospitality of Afghan villagers and local leaders for food and shelter. This made me very uncomfortable as I read the book, as some of the people he imposed himself on had very little themselves. At times, he (and the dog he picked up along the way) was clearly an unwelcome burden.
But I think this book is worth reading for these reasons-
Recommended reading as an essential antidote to the infotainment contained in the dreadful repetitive rolling news of Sky and BBC news 24.
Well, Christmas is past for another year.
We have had a lovely time- we had an extra house guest as a friend had a burst pipe on Christmas eve.
Finally the hold of ice and snow has been loosened- it is raining at the moment, revealing slowly retreating treacherous sheets of wet ice.
Not a day to venture far from the fireside.
So as is my tradition, I think it is time for some bad cracker-type jokes (thanks Isobel for the raw material!)
Firstly for the numbers people–
Apparently the fattest knight at King Arthur’s round table was the very well fed Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from consuming too much pi.
Next, for the geographers-
I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be
an optical Aleutian
Now for the hardened drinkers-
She was only a whiskey maker, but he loved her still.
And the non-believers-
Atheism- the non-prophet organization.
For the sporty types-
He wondered why the ball just kept getting bigger. Then it hit him.
And my fellow poets-
Did you hear about the backward poet? He writes inverse.
For the engineers-
Two fish swim into a concrete wall. One turns to the other and says ‘Dam!’
For the long in the tooth-
Did you hear about the Sadistic Buddhist Dentist? His goal: to transcend dental medication.
And finally- for my fellow canoeists-
Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly so they lit a fire in the craft.
Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can’t have your kayak and heat it.
(Perhaps I should get out more- despite the ice.)
(According to Genesis 2 verse 18.)
I saw this today here. I hope it is real-
May we all know the blessing of companionship.
And love.
Just saw this on Brian McLaren’s blog-
Gadgetmass is almost upon us, and so it might be a good time to remind ourselves that our electronic consumables have a hidden cost to people who will never get to use them.
I was rooting in some cupboards the other day in our house, and came across a graveyard for gadgets- sad scratched plastic in amongst a tangle of chargers for devices long lost or discarded.
A kind of monument to over-consumption, waste and our unsustainable lifestyle.
That was bad enough- but the clip above made me think about what these things are actually made from.
There are more details, and a chance to respond directly to technology companies on this website.
Or you could just keep the mobile you already have. It still works doesn’t it?
I do not often blog about current affairs- most things in life need a little reflection before weighing in with more words. But have you been following the strange story of Wikileaks and its charismatic leader Julian Assange? It is one of those stories that might yet come to define something about our time- capturing for those yet to come the spirit of our age…
In a previous post I wondered if wikileaks could be compared to the protest songs of the 1960’s- an internet age focus for counter-cultural critique and social justice. Freedom proclaimed through computer hacking and information stealing.
Wikileaks has accumulated awards as quickly as it has raised the hackles of the most powerful people in the world. It has tweaked the tail of the war mongers and the profit makers, and they are not happy.
And when you offend these sort of interests, then you are marked. The shadows will always rustle.
But even when the timing of the attack on Assange leaves a hundred questions about whose interests are being served by the current media frenzy around his alleged sexual abusive activites in Sweden- even then the confusion over what is really going on remains.
If you want to know what Assange is actually accused of- then I suggest you check out this article in the Mail (I know, I know- but the Guardian does not seem to have been as keen to lay out the dirt.) While you are there, you can have a snigger at the sort of journalism that uses two photographs of the women involved that are totally pixelated out!
And so the lines are drawn. The Swedish prosecutors say that they have had no pressure from the USA, and the women involved say that they are merely interested in exposing Assange in his abusive attitudes towards women.
And Assange’s supporters see the whole thing as a CIA inspired honey trap- and have responded by cyber attacks on the Swedish prosecutors website (as well as attacks on Mastercard, Paypal and Visa.) Famous supporters like Ken Loach, Michael Moore and John Pilger put up money to help Assange with his legal bill- despite being labelled as ‘fans of cereal rapists’ by US conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh.
We will probably never know the truth of these allegations.
And as for Assange himself- his star has risen high- and so has far to fall. He is no Messiah, and his motives appear to be as mixed as the rest of us.
After my trawl through the tinternet looking for the marks made by this story, the only conclusions I have been able to reach are these-
To reveal the powerful in the miss use of their power is a brave and good thing.
As for the Internet Prophet himself- like most powerful messianic men, he has to face the problem of the possible miss use of personal power.
Think of the stories that have followed other men who have inspired us towards freedom- Martin Luther King, Kennedy, Mandela. All have faced scandals of a sexual nature. Some of them were trumped up in the dirty war fought against them- some were the consequence of the adulation, and the personal power accrued to men whose feet were clay, no matter how golden their heads become.
We live in interesting times.
this fragile tent 