Layer 371 . . . November, Rally To Restore Sanity, A Bit More Fry, James and the Man Lab, and a Man Called Grian

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November - a strange month. The final month of autumn. If the sun shines it can be 18C or so, and the trees and woods are glorious. Like today, for instance.

On the other hand, since the clocks went back on the last day of October, it's almost dark already by 4.30, and it feels like it's suddenly winter. So we now have four months of long, dark evenings and nights, and sun starvation. A grim prospect.

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I need to mention the report on the Rally To Restore Sanity - as previously blogged, organised by Jon Stewart.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/oct/30/jon-stewart-rally-restore-sanity

Jon Stewart rally - as it happened

Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert held a Rally To Restore Sanity in Washington DC and tens of thousands joined them. Here's how the day unfolded

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/oct/31/rally-restore-sanity-jon-stewart-washington

Jon Stewart's Rally to Restore Sanity draws marchers from across America

The television satirist insists it was not a political event: his targets were overheated debate and laziness in the media

   
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And here's the original report on Stephen Fry's bonkersness:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/oct/31/stephen-fry-sex-women-relationships-attitude

Stephen Fry shocks feminists by claiming women don't really like sex

Women are just as capable as men of enjoying sex and remarks are 'kind of rubbish', says feminist writer Rosie Boycott

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James and the Man Lab

I had reasonably high hopes for James May's latest series on BBC, but in the event it's pretty poor stuff. Based on the premise that a necessary step in the process of turning boys into  men is learning how to be practical and creative (which women more or less need to be as well - but often in different ways?) the programme seems to be taking the easy option and simply playing for laddish laughs and 'entertainment'. How else to explain the items on how to defuse a bomb and how to make a concrete worktop for the kitchen? As for linking all the rooms in a building with a model electric train . . .

Sorry, James: I expected better. Maybe you should stick to the word processor after all. Your writing in the Observer about the idea behind the series was a lot better than its first programme.

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Grian?

I'm still pondering the row about Harriet Harman likening Danny Alexander to a ginger rodent. In Scotland!

I'm surprised at Harriet. Fancy thinking this was somehow amusing - even if her audience did chuckle. No - she should have stuck to the facts of this matter.

Daniel Grian Alexander is a 38 year old jumped up ex-public relations scumbag and tosspot, and an economically illiterate Friedmanite fuckwit, who just happens to be playing a major role as a member of a government that is managing the nation's finances and economy in a way that's totally propping up the status quo in favour of the fat cats and the asset strippers and entirely against the interests of the majority of the population. Fact.

PS   "Grian was the Celtic Sun Goddess, who in later times became known as a fairy queen". Not a lot of people know that.
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