The Observer Nails it on a Sunday

There is something about reading a few papers on Sunday that grounds me for the week ahead. I love knowing someone is thinking about the same things I am and writing beautifully and intelligently about thoughts that hover at the edge of my consciousness.

Today in the Observer, Henry Porter has written a brilliant article, "We must resist this culture of anti-British segregation" with quite a few fabulous points and only one I might quibble over.

Is Tavistock Crescent in Notting Hill? I would have called it Ladbrooke Grove, or "under the Westway" or North Kensington. Notting Hill to me is near the tube station and a bit west of it including the southern bit of Ladbrooke Grove, on the way UP the hill. When I lived on Sloane Street I was forcibly told I did not live in Belgravia as I lived on the west side of the street and from that I understood that these areas do have invisible but important distinctions.

What is big, enormous actually, is the slow dawning on everyone that so many Muslims who live in Britain don't want to assimilate into British culture. I consider myself an immigrant and I came over here precisely to assimilate (still working at it). When I watch tourists and listen to them I realise I've learned to fit in pretty well although living here hasn't effected my Michigan accent as much as I'd like. Sorry, I digress.

I was surprised in the first days after the bombings on the 7th by how many gals there were wandering around central London in a 'nikab' (Porter's word so I'm adopting it). I thought they were mostly female journalists out for a scoop and I have waited to hear that this is the case for weeks.

Anyway, it seems likely now that there was an element of defiance behind that. From the article:

"A proud disdain for Western society seems to have overwhelmed any meaningful desire for assimilation. There is an assertiveness which is explained away by liberals and Muslims as a kind of defence mechanism against racism and prejudice in the wake of 9/11. In my area, which has a large population from many different Muslim countries, I have noticed the increased use of the nikab."

and:

"The poll found that 6 percent of the sample - which alarmingly extrapolates to 100,000 British Muslims - insisted that the bombings were fully justified."

"If this is anywhere near the truth we have a very significant problem, and those nine young men who attacked London will not be the last. Sitting outside the pub in Tavistock Crescent, I found myself resenting the idea that one group of people had removed themselves from the values that I admire about Britain, regardless of the level of tolerance and generosity offered to people of all faiths and backgrounds."

A killer insight:

"Personally, I find the wearing of the nikab on British streets discomforting because it declares a woman to be a possession of a man. The implication that all men are lusting after all women all the time, and so Muslim women must be protected from their gaze, is offensive. I will never be persuaded that this is simply about a woman's elected modesty or that the human rights issue falls exclusively on the side of Islam."

later:

"The penny has dropped in France..."

Read the whole article here.

While Porter finds the implications behind the wearing of a nikab offensive, I find it illogical and stupid and I'm surprised when they parade their lack of intellectual ability on the street for all to see.

Who is the 18th century philosopher who proposed that a man spend all night locked in a room with a beautiful woman and in the morning, if he had slept with her, he would be hung from the gallows just outside the door. The question being, what action would be the most likely during that man's imprisonment?

I'll end with this: Porter quotes David Bell, the chief inspector of Britain's schools:

"We must not allow our recognition of diversity to become apathy in the face of any challenge to our coherence as a nation. I would go further and say that an awareness of our common heritage as British citizens, equal under the law, should enable us to assert with confidence that we are intolerant of intolerance, illiberalism and attitudes and values that demean certain sections of our community, be they women or people living in non-traditional relationships."




St. Patrick's chapel, Brompton Oratory, this past Friday.

Associated Press and Sky News

I'm fascinated by the press reporting that two of the suspects captured yesterday were located in "Notting Hill". That bit of North Kensington is one of the poorest and most dangerous areas of London. "Golbourne Estates" is in the top ten worst areas of the UK.

However, it is technically part of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and is only a fifteen minute walk from the northern most bit of Notting Hill so if you wanted to bias a report to make it communicate something like, oh, "even the best communities harbour brain washed Islamofascists" then you might rather enjoy calling the location "Notting Hill".

By the way, isn't 'Wormwood Scrubs' a fabulous name for a prison? Michael Collins spent a short time there, but that's for another post.

The Extras by HBO on BBC

I'm really glad I've been able to see "The Extras" these last two Thursdays. The jokes are outrageous although my experience of people on film sets is way more positive. Film people are brilliant at small talk which makes perfect sense as they all have to get along from 5 am to 1 am for weeks at a time. I'm not fooled by the BBC logo. It's edgy and well written and reeks of all that HBO does well, including being cool and self deprecating. Another HBO winner, it isn't tv is it.

Today I gave the office staff at Notting Hill tube the web address of little green footballs so they could have a laugh too. I also took a photo of the actual signs that were up in Notting Hill tube this afternoon.












I have tried to take the tube every day since July 7th and today was the heaviest in terms of armed police at the top of each stair and leaning against walls by the ticket office. Of course, I'm going in and out of Oxford Circus. I remember doing research ages ago that said that is the busiest station of the entire network. It's not about defiance now, it's about capitulation, not happening!



The "Apple of Discord" was awarded last night even though three debaters initially tied for first place on logical grounds. I took 27 pages of notes for 26 speeches! If you think about it, so much has happened in the last month, naturally everyone had something compelling to say.

So much stands out even now. The awful attempts at American Texan accents (I didn't detract points for that). The numerous derisory comments about the media (tons of points for that), the good use of a strong opening statement and good use of humour (tons and tons of points). One of the joint "first placers" stood up to his full six foot two height and then seemed to go even higher as he raised his arm pointing his fingers like a gun and went "Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang."

The winner of the Apple of Discord's opening statement was "What is news?" then he went on "how do you define terrorism?" (The riposte was "civilians targeted in war" from a veteran of many sessions at Speaker's Corner.) His use of rhetorical questions as well as tone and manner just tipped the balance. Oh! And of course, his final statement "This is the month of London".

Society of Cogers

The Society of Cogers was originally formed in 1755. This year is the 250th anniversary of "the world's oldest free-speech and debating forum".

Tonight, for the first time in 250 years the evening meeting will be run entirely by women. We'll have a lady "Opener", who will talk for the first fifteen minutes on the news events of the past month. Our "Grand", who ensures the rules of the meeting are met and no one talks past their allotted five minutes, will also be female. I have the gutwrenching job of "Evaluator".

Our president has supplied me with a crib sheet "Duties of the Evaluator". "To give appropriate appraisal of the debate, the debaters, and other aspects of the meeting" and "to decide on the award of the Apple of Discord and to make the presentation" in order to "show the Society's appreciation of people's contributions" as well as help "in an educational and any other way".

Since 90% of our group is male, I think it's going to be an interesting evening.

A bit of humour with your coffee?

Happy Birthday Sonya, and here's a hilarious article from Mark Steyn in The Australian, best bit:

"Hmm. Kennedy (Baroness Kennedy QC) appears to be arguing that our tolerance of our own tolerance is making us intolerant of other people's intolerance, which is intolerable."

Also:

"(Mohammed Atta) was the Leslie Nielsen of terrorist masterminds."

The bit about waltzing is great too. I will put a link to Mark Steyn up, when I have time to "type code", it's a little fiddly this early in the morning.

Tears before laughter

Every day I read Powerline and Little Green Footballs. I've just started reading Harry's Place. Those blogs have something new every day and I've stopped heading out to my local newsagent in the dawn's early light as they satisfy my morning passion for a jolly good read.

This past May the empyreant Michelle Malkin had a link to Michael Yon's blog. He's writing about his experiences in Iraq and the roller coaster ride that he describes can be harrowing. He doesn't post every day which adds to the tension. After reading "Angels Among Us" I put my forehead on my arms and cried. This past Thursday's post is his best though, as good as a Hollywood summer movie with all the humour and suspense.

I've added these as links too as I'm slowly learning "how to blog". Deciding on a tagline is going to take longer, although I do like "you've taken to it like a duck to water".

Peaceful Weekend

This past Saturday I waved goodbye as a handful of stalwart Brits headed out from Bridport Harbour to go deep sea diving. They didn't climb over any WW2 wrecks. Now that would have interested me. I walked on the beach towards Lyme Regis and played games with an enormous 6 month old Golden Retriever named Simba. "I never would have thought of you as a dog person." Simba is darling and knows NEVER to shake himself off by me after that first time.

After that, explored Abbottsbury and the 13th century chapels that still stand after the Reformation destroyed the main buildings.















Everyone always laughs at the idea that I would EVER go camping. "Where do you plug in your hair dryer?" This is to let you know that I can stand it, for almost 24 hours! Particularly when it's right by the sea at Ringstead Bay in Dorset. The wind made the waves crash loudly and spectacularly - all night and all morning. A cup of coffee, the Sunday Times and, because of the rain and cold, pretty much an empty beach this morning. I got so chilled out last night I could barely string two sentences together. Quit laughing! It was very zen.

By the sharp lapels of your checkered coat

Dippy's out at the Guardian! Skip the misogynist advertisement for the Guardian Weekly and read down. This shows the Guardian accepts that Dippy belongs to an organisation that calls for the murder of innocent civilians. So a bit of good news and goodness, don't we need it. Have a peaceful weekend.

Planning above and beyond Part One

John Griffiths started his account planning website five years ago.

I vaguely remember this because he sent out an email to planning mates and invited me to be listed as one of his "people". Those were the days when I was rather scared of this whole internet business (plus a change) and I declined. However, he got some great freelance planning gurus and it surprised me no end that he'd publish contact details for his competitors.

Five years on the site is an important source of account planning knowledge and he has become a recognised name in our industry. I attended the APG AGM in May and remember the discussion, tinged with chagrin, about what he has accomplished.

There are three people who inspired me to blog. John's number one on the list. He's a great guy to know and to call with web questions. Last time I did, I got sucked in to trying to figure out where Orlando is from Miami as he was on google earth and his kids wanted to find Orlando. Just because I'm American doesn't mean I know all the geographic areas well! But I knew it was west and north of Miami and we got there in the end.

I interviewed John for over an hour and the following covers a tiny bit of what we discussed.

Why do you have a website?

My reason for starting it? I thought it would be a cheaper way to contact people without having to call them up. The cost was low, £60/70 a year. The real cost is your time. You have to keep an eye out otherwise you could spend all your time fiddling with it.

It's about imagination and enjoyment. And I thought it would help me get work and I'd develop relationships with planning directors. In that I've been partially successful.

My rule was to change it once a month and put things on that wouldn't date. I spend half a day or so a month updating and adding new content. I never figured out what it would look like after five years.

I started to get emails from very high profile people and from around the world. My site traffic got to 800 sessions and this was beyond my wildest dreams til I realised it could be just one individual logging on! Since then it has gone ballistic. This year the site has had at least 4,000 individuals every month. I can track unique visitors but not by individual email addresses.

I don't know who's visiting but I can tell which pages people have looked at. There's a flaw in the business model. You can't collect against it. I would like to figure out which routes through the site were most popular and which bits of the site were working, and for whom.

Half the fun of the website is you have to find out what works. I never realised I needed to put key words on so they could be searched for. The reason other people find your site is because someone has linked to it so I had to learn to set up links.

Many of my "bright ideas" just didn't work. But the saying goes, if you want to succeed, increase your failure rate. With these new comms channels, you have to learn and find out what works.

What are the top articles?

The most downloaded articles? 'Planning beyond advertising - how does it work outside advertising' - that has been downloaded 100 times a month since 2003 when it was in Admap. Also the integrated planning article.

What was your thinking five years ago?

I think planners are very curious people and planning changes all the time and that makes it interesting. I got very excited because I could postpone the boredom factor by working in other areas. When I worked in different disiplines I found it very exciting. I wanted to communicate that to people and I think I have. Plus I wanted to have common cause with other planners, to network with those facing similar challenges.

No one is helping people outside advertising understand account planning. But everyone talks a good game. I don't have a chip on my shoulder about advertising planning. In the end it's what you're interested in. But advertising planning doesn't transfer tidily to other comms areas. If you think advertising planning works in a specific way you'll screw up big time. Ad planning needs to be reconfigured.

Stan Pollitt started it by making qualitative research really simple. He said just look at heavy, light and non users. But that is terrible advice for direct marketing.

John, at BMP he's only ever called Stanley and he is remembered as an eccentric character, holding forth in the pub and stubbing out his cigarettes in the pocket of his tweed jacket.

What he did was right for mass advertising but you've got to figure out what is appropriate. Advertising works with mass audiences but five people will have five different opinions. Other channels do certain things well.

What's interesting that's happening these days?

The single biggest issue, and it's not new but ad people are being blown away because people now resent advertising. We've been disrespectful. We need now to have a dialogue. All new communication channels have a respond channel. We like people to react but we don't want them to talk to us. We love passivity.

You have to interact with people. People spend money when they engage. But it's down to costs and we don't have time for it. Clients should take risks by engaging with their customers. It may push up costs. It certainly takes more time. That's the price.

I've reviewed books on the site for five years. Publishers now send me books to review. £3,000 worth of books were bought on the website last year. I've started interviewing these authors. It's interesting to hear how they talk and to challenge their thinking. The authors have fantastic insights but no channel to contact account planners.

What made you start running drinks evenings?

Another hobby horse of mine is some of your great ideas don't work. So here's the truth - invitations on the internet don't work. You'd think the networking opportunity would be appealing but it's not. So I just phone up my planning friends and they bring their friends.

When are you going to start blogging?

There are loads of planning blogs, about seven or eight. Russell and Richard at Red Cell and W&K. I blogged a bit earlier in the year, from my mobile when I was travelling in the Middle East. The pressure to publish every couple of days is too much for me.

What is your definition of a blog?

An online diary where people can regularly publish information about themselves and it's personal. It has an element of authenticity or authority. Blogs have to tell the truth. I think that's part of the code. People are presenting themselves as they are.

Russell's is the original. There's a guy in Spain too - hidden persuader? I've heard that Weiden and Kennedy have blogs for each account. They've replaced writing contact reports with blogs and that's an amazing way of working.

Are you ever inhibited?

Rarely. When I was travelling in the Middle East I was aware, if someone told me a funny story about what happens on the street in Saudi Arabia I wouldn't get into trouble but they might. I realised I needed to start editing myself on behalf of other people.

I feel a little guilty. I put some stuff up last year that related to the election in America. I feel I should have put things up on our election while it was on and I feel bad that I didn't. But the British election was a non event. It's very easy to criticise people from somewhere else.

John, when are you sending me that picture? I know how to work with jpegs so can't wait to receive it.

End.

The Great Philosophers

Parmenides (450BC) believed that all that actually exists is the immediate present. Talk about the past and future is just talk - not existence. This is "pre-Socratic", because of it's focus on the physical world. Why was he so dismissive of the mind? If you're reading something that's been written in the past, about something even further in the past, the story is unfolding in the present. Doesn't it therefore become part of existence, affecting you and having form? Anyway, talking is existence and very enjoyable too.

I believe my mind exists outside this physical world as well as dwelling in my head. That's why I've got a lot of sympathy for Plato and his belief in reincarnation. After all, what if dreaming is the mind travelling somewhere else to gain knowledge? Why can't this be a part of philosophical thinking? I've had so many conversations while sleeping, and been surprised by the actions of others while dreaming. Who's to say that dreaming isn't another existence and opportunity to learn?

I've been thinking a lot about language and the idea that language reveals unconscious desires. Ok, there's some validity in that but I also know that I delight in writing something, then searching through the thesaurus for a nicer word than "thing" or "stuff". That's part of the fun, seeing what rich, quirky word can be used to raise a laugh or add a good beat. So conscious reworking of language, what does that reveal?

I turn to exercises like these when I'm downhearted and find it quite a balm to the spirit!

Socrates (400 BC) taught his students to question everything and changed the course of philosophical thinking by placing the emphasis on human morality and politics.

Every single one of the great philosophers raised interesting questions, but no one has solved the questions that keep me up at night. Why does evil exist? Why doesn't wrong doing on the part of evil men inspire one hundred percent of the population to rise up and root it out?

Everything I've ever learned about philosophy has started and ended with the "Western" world. Where are the great Arab thinkers? Must google this and see what happens.

I had a few rip roaring chats yesterday about the meaning and messages sent via clothing. Clothing is part of language and has an intended communication as well as an underlying message. So the nuns in Sound of Music had startling black garments with intricate head coverings, rather similar to burkas, except for the really strange hankerchief over the nose, which looks even worse with wire rimmed glasses. That's a look you don't forget in an instant, I'm just saying.

I dressed up as a nun for the medieval pageant I attended in May in LA. It's a fun outfit to wear as people treat you differently, rather respectfully, while cracking jokes about their behaviour; "I'd better do what you say because you're a nun". I quickly got frustrated with the headgear and wimple yet the day wasn't hot, 24/80. Off it came anyway.

Once, I tried on my mom's wedding dress. There were masses of tiny satin buttons, from wrist to elbow and waist to shoulderblade. It was an amazing creation, an ankle length tulle skirt and breath reducing bodice and I lasted in it for half an hour tops. I was also laced into a corset at Angels before trying on the American Civil war costumes. All I remember is laughing a lot. Ok, some swearing went on. What a way to dress, incomprehensible to me.

So how can girls in London bear wearing burkas? What do they think they're communicating? I've heard a vast array of negatives, and see no positives. If the guys wore them too, well, that would be different. But they don't. They just walk ahead and let these gals shuffle along behind. Why is it ok to do that to women?

It's a puzzle.

Giles: "It's terribly simple. The good guys are always stalwart and true. The bad guys are easily distinguished by their pointy horns or black hat and we always defeat them and save the day. No one ever dies and everyone lives happily ever after."

Buffy: Liar!

Profiling 101

Profile, n, biographical or character sketch, Oxford Dictionary

I'm profiling right now and it has nothing harmful or racist in it's intention. I just want to cut to the chase regarding the attitudes and behaviour of some consumers I need to understand.

This article in the Times today covers one analyst's summary of 200 interviews that have been conducted with "Muslim suicide bombers" (so label them 'failed', or 'lapsed' or 'still thinking about it'? labels can be important) without ever touching on the main, underlying reasons. It's an excellent example of a lost opportunity. Their moonie-like indoctrination is clearly exposed, and the requirement of the families left behind to 'put a good face on it' is explained well, but good profiling this isn't, just a set of propaganda style facts all thrown down. Doesn't bode well for the book it comes from.

It is suicide, yet their religion doesn't allow suicide, so in my book the leaders aren't religious. They're just good at organising the cells that cloud suicide murderers' disturbed little brains. 72 Houris indeed. What nice girl is going to want to have anything to do with those guys, in heaven or hell? Having a great chat with Allah in paradise! When the London Losers woke up in hell last Thursday, were they just a little surprised?

The two minute silence was observed all over London yesterday and it was awesome to see the bustling traffic stopped for the masses of people down on the high street yesterday. I stood by the same tree I stood by the Friday after September 11th. This time I didn't cry like I did that day. I knew the suiciders would be outed as criminals and losers and this very morning we are learning more about these dupes of Islamofascist terrorists. Is that how you spell it? It's not on the spell check, not in my dictionary either.

By some chance I had brought my dice along

Good old Guardian, usually a great read but I suppose it's down to the money, it often is. When regular journalists are paid bupkees, it's anyone's guess what a "trainee Guardian journalist" will be paid. I'm guessing a fiver.

I didn't realise the Guardian could rationalise the thinking of violent, death dealing "Yorkshire lads", but I'm always up for learning new things. How can this Yorkshire lad afford to live in London? He probably lives with his despairing mum. The sooner these women figure out that they can't be passive, blinkered passengers and must engage with their communities and pay attention to what outrageous things some of the losers in their neighbourhood are up to, the happier I'll be. I've often thought, covering up with burkas and scarves and so on, can't stop the brain from clicking at a million miles an hour.

They're very nice on the terrorism hotline 0800 789 321 and don't mind anyone calling with any thoughts at all.

So "Dippy" as I am compelled to call you, I thought your article was daft and I won't be looking out for your byline on anything of value for, oh, a zillion years. Good luck dude, you need it.

Whenever I walk in a London street

At 12:00 noon GMT this Thursday, 14th July, there will be a two minute silence. Consider it a mark of respect to the dead, the injured and all of us too. But it will also be an act of defiance. The streets, all public transport, the air around us, still ours.

"What doesn't inspire terror, by definition, isn't terrorism." PJ O'Rourke, Peace Kills

"No one ever did a cruel action simply because cruelty is wrong-only because cruelty is pleasant or useful to him."
"We have to take reality as it comes to us: there is no good jabbering about what it ought to be like or what we should have expected it to be like."
"Now, today , this moment, is our chance to choose the right side." CS Lewis, Mere Christianity

Phew! That's how I choose to vent at the end of this evening!

Never a wish better than this

What a beautiful Sunday afternoon, with zillions of people all watching the fly past at Buckingham Palace. Here are a few photos from the Mall, including the ancient aircraft overhead and the poppies that floated down on us.






After that, off to Cilla's birthday party at a restaurant right by the Globe Theatre, with a great view of the river and buildings on the North side of the Thames. It felt kind of fitting to look out on the weathered dome of St. Paul's, 300 years of towering over the buildings around it. Solid, unperturbable, magnificent, this city, my London.

Team America movie the sequel

I don't know how to do links yet, lesson's on Tuesday, but I can't stop laughing at this great long list of what Americans appreciate about the British, go to:

http://www.secondbreakfast.net/archives/001995.html

You got a reaction, didn't you?

"Ladies and gentlemen, due to the terrorist attacks the circle line, the city and metropolitan line, the victoria and piccadilly lines are closed today. Also, this is to remind you that Queensway station is closed for refurbishment." But by 3:00 pm yesterday bits of those lines were open too. Lots of calm, typical London transport voices over the tannoy throughout the day.

Borough market was heaving, guess no one told those foodies that they should be cowed into submission.



London's very quiet, everybody's scared and staying home.



The tv remains off for the duration, I learned that secret for mental health after September 11th.

I bought every paper again this morning but found the covers and stories...repetitive. Maybe I just can't focus well, and that is one of the knock on effects of grief, I've discovered. There are more interesting and unique elements to the day's main story inside the papers.

So The Observer has an article on www.wearenotafraid.com - the Observer I hear you exclaim! - but missed the opportunity to publish photos of the best examples from that site. The Observer also has a good article inside headed "Now we Need Some Answers", for instance: "Was there a failure of intelligence? In the strict sense of the word, yes." However, the paragraph calmly goes on "...it is inaccurate to allege incompetence. Gathering intelligence is an inexact science that can only mitigate a threat, not eradicate it." More in that same cool tone, a satisfying if too short article on a day like this.

My favourite paper, The Sunday Times, has a clear photo of a ginger haired Syrian guy who may or may not have set up terror cells here in Britain - speculation on the front page? Guess I really can't focus because I can't see the point of that unless it's useful in a Crimewatch kind of way. The accompanying article, page 5, reprints a photo of the Smelly Sneaker Bomber (as I have always called him) and it is just too disturbing to have to look at such an ugly face on a Sunday morning. The front of my favourite section, News Review, has an enormous, striking photo of three guys in the same kind of blue and white tablecloths we got to see earlier in the week on the Scotland protesters. The Times business section covers something I heard in the pub on Thursday, that the terrorism provided city investors with "an opportunity" - "it was the busiest day of trading for more than two years". So no economic fallout is predicted, excellent news. Their business section really is the most satisfying part of the paper today: "Defiant City of London can do even better", "Terror attacks won't tip economy over the edge".

But wait! The Sunday Telegraph has this ginger haired guy on the front page too, so it must be important to find him after all. Someone should tell him that denim shirts should not be worn with denim trousers.

The Independent on Sunday has a striking border of photos of some of those murdered and a great sub heading "Police hunt 'mercenary' terror gang". I've always thought that terrorism today is mainly paid criminals, well, we'll see. Ireland's Sunday Independent has a bit on this theme in the copy of their front page article: "...and are helping to raise finance, provide fake identities and, it is suspected, safe houses for terrorists." I suppose it isn't rocket science, after all.

The tabloids just didn't grab me, I'm not one for "shock, horror!" at the best of times. I'm saddened by the enormous headline on the front of The Mail on Sunday: "Secret Plan to Quit Iraq". I'd love all the troops to be able to go home to their families right away but don't think timetables should be outlined or reported on, without a great deal of thought and consideration for..oh wait, it's actually just a bit of speculation, here's one of the give aways: "There is a strong US military desire for significant force reductions." You think?

A noisy jet overhead reminds me - I'm going to finish this up now as I want to see the Lancaster flypast over Buckingham Palace at five. Where does the time go? Have a peaceful Sunday.

If you could see it then you'd understand

What a week it's been. I haven't bought a paper today, it's quicker and easier to read a short article on the internet, then pop out the door to meet up with friends to chat and wander around. I'm revelling in the fact that everything feels so normal. The high street is heaving with shoppers and there are tons of families milling about. I was in Soho yesterday and saw lots of little kids skipping along with their families, one little boy was slapping his tiny, black burka'd mum on her bum, it was darling to watch, she's turn around and act cross and he'd giggle delightedly and do it again. I was mesmerised by the charm of it.

The Churchill pub was full last night and I let my British friends direct the conversation, which included performance art, astonishing incomprehensible words like prototextual and post feminism and rather too little on George Bernard Shaw. The bombings are yesterday's news, like the protesters in Scotland and the comet impact - shame about that one as the BBC2 documentary was fantastic.

I've got a dear 80 year old neighbour who stopped to sit in the downstairs foyer with me yesterday. She's one of Bomber Harris's girls, worked at Dover Castle and had a lot of experiences of hearing bombers with guys she knew getting shot down. "I don't mind talking about it with you." She teared up while telling me the (WW2) story of a young soldier who was collecting blankets to cover up the dead, but she tilted her head, looked up and blinked them away. Is it any wonder Londoners are so cool? A long history of handling terrorism against innocent civilians beautifully.

Just the odd helicopter, not like last Saturday, and normal sirens-in-the-distance sounds. I'm off to Borough market in a moment, never having gone there ever, as an Australian chum wants to check out the organic produce. I see so much more of London when visitors come to town! I'll never get tired of the Tower of London.

"But how does it make you feel?" Proud to be a Londoner, a little more energised and aware than normal, just fine really but next week I am detoxing, no question.

There'll be bluebirds over

Come to the pub, some neighbours and I will be there from 7.

Just some pictures of my side of town today. No one's freaking out, everyone is fine, life continues.

Crack my ribs and repair this broken heart

The sky is empty of everything except gray clouds. At midday it was dark and cold. The builders over the road are still working hard and shouting, traffic is moving, time for a cup of tea, the blitz spirit lives!

This city lived through 1000 bombing sorties, ok 60 years ago so her joints will need oiling up, but London has a strong personality and will react gently and appropriately, bet you.

Tony Blair looked shaky on the news. But what he said was great, "they will never succeed". Thing is "they" succeed if they hurt the quality of life we live here in this ornamental, vibrant and nourishing town.

One helicopter, red with a tinny sound, that's it for the moment. One mobile gets service, one does not. One phone gets service, one does not.

I read the news today oh boy

I bought every paper going this morning and have them all spread around me at my desk. The Guardian has a brilliant, striking photo on the front cover of the Live 8 logo on the stage at Hyde Park. I love the Guardian's writing style, the entire front page article on the kids going to Edinburgh is so kind hearted. "Batten down the hatches" indeed! The Mirror has the funniest headline "One Gr8 Day" and a great Live 8 insert. However, the Mirror says this: "In recent years, she (Madonna) has settled into the life of a well bred English society dame living in Britain with her husband Guy Richie and children Rocco, Lourdes and Carlos Leon." And here's me thinking she only has two kids.

The Sun has a great Live 8 insert with a seriously funny bit "If you're a grumpy old git" on page 5. It also has a brilliant horseracing insert, never knew about this but I will certainly get it again when I go racing. The Sun has let the side down by not publishing any more photos of Sodham in his underwear but I guess that's not relevant to today.

The Irish Independent has Bono's photo on the front and and a really funny headline that I don't think I can type on the web, in the middle (clue, it's a quote by, "Sir Bob" as they call him). Didn't think the knighthood counted in Ireland, but I do think "Sir Bob" has a great beat.

The Telegraph has a broadsheet page on Live 8 covering the actual front page - what are those called? The photo of Bob Geldof on the last page isn't very flattering, but the quote is: "When Live Aid happened, we discovered that the planet's lingua franca was not English, but pop music." Just as an aside, great above the fold headline in the Telegraph about forgeries in the National Archives, of course that would interest me!

The Times weighs a ton and has a great British colloquialism in a headline inside "Protesters will be in with a shout", as about 5,000 protesters are to be allowed within "earshot" of Gleneagles in Scotland. Also has a seriously acerbic comment column, with a good point "peasants must become freehold owners of their land" - a point PJ O'Rourke makes in his book Eat the Rich.

The dear old Daily Mail has a big thatched cottage on the front page, with just an unflattering photo of Paul McCartney on the front. He looks tired. "He always does" says my chum just arrived to drag me out to the park. Really good cd in the Daily Mail, that's a nice extra. Daily Mail Weekend magazine has a fabulous photo of Nigella on it, her programme starts Monday, ok Rachel I won't tempt fate.

The Independent has quite a unique front cover but rather low key with all the tiny copy. However, some wonderful colour photos inside, that Live logo is fantastic.

Daily Express has a great photo inside of the bit of the park where the concert will take place, what is that a satellite photo, very cool.

The Star, well, the bright colours jump out at you and the photos are really energetic. Heavens, even the press ads inside seem to jump off the page boldly.

Ok we're off, more later.

Uno dos tres

Cuatro cinco cinco seis

Very gray skies and a big black cloud is hovering right overhead. This weather is perfect, refreshing and not too hot.

I'll try to put up photos of what's happening in the bit of the park we non ticket holders are allowed into.

Here's the same shameless plug, on the bus south of the park.