protecting a culture

in the united kingdom we have a culture based on the judaic code of ethics this encompasses the law, our moral code, our perceptions of fairness, right and wrong -justice our culture is plant that has been nurtured for at least 800 years. like every plant it needs watering pruning and adjustment but as a species it remains intact. multi -culturism is something the majority of the citizens of the united kingdom have been persuaded to accept on the understanding that there is a basic consensus on human rights .yet not every culture within out boundaries accepts this .there is teaching of the caliphate in some faith schools the education minister didn't know what this meant - however it has nothing to do with democracy .and though we accept the right of everyone to follow their own beliefs we have our own structure re -shaped by by a minority. any rejection of these tenants tends to lead to negative reactions which compromise free speech the immediate effect is to compromise free speech. if there is a different interpretation of life purpose it becomes impossible for the minority to be absorbed into the greater whole. the larger grouping is not to blame, the endemic structure of the country is as it is and must remain so .the same struggle is emerging in France ,the protection of all that France represents is important -it is not negotiable. for instance should we become subject to the tenants of creed that abhors all realistic image making then we would see the destruction of cultural artifacts such as the world has never seen before. our art ,our freedoms ,our treatment of women are sacrosanct and cannot be re-negotiated. nor can we sanctify 12th century punishments vengeance has never been a form of rehabilitation . what i believe is open to adjustment but is not open to revision ,western culture has a tradition of thought patterns in science and arts that is unsurpassed that combined with the the philanthropic soul of the west must be sustained and nourished at whatever the cost

not sure its about cookery

next week i intend to meet nigela lawson in Bristol , I'm at the varnishing day at the R.W.A first a lunch with fellow artists ,then on to nigella .are her programmes areally about cookery, she seems to get a lot of things out of jars tosses them in pans. and thats it . meanwhile there is winking over the spaghetti strainer ,much pouting as she uses the whisk, much tasting, finger licking and ohs ahs -this is like the food seduction scene in the the 1960's movie tom jones, except she is alone and you are the target .i tried one of her breakfast recipes and had to throw it out. that doesn't stop me watching as the kitchen becomes a culinary belle de jour. jamie oliver and the rest eat your heart ,you poor tings have nothing better to offer than your culinary skills

russel's booky wook

a bad week

in England afghan hostage ends badly ,it was cold and wet i had flu so it was impossible to do anything but feel sorry for my self, mostly i got annoyed at labour party in denial other parties not dong what they promised - who needs politics any more- to cap a lousy week the art project at Tate modern stopped because health and safety- my bright spot last week was Russell brand i,got annoyed when the perennial old bore Michael Parkinson said what is the point of him - well the ignorant old codger ought to have watched his interview with Jeremy paxman where he questions the ethos of celebrity in society in a masterly fashion ,enough to sway many dis believers to his cause .having met him at book signing i can vouch for his sincerity his naturalness his patience in fact he is wasted in the media, he should be a social worker. Katy perry is a very lucky woman .next week i intend to meet nigella souffle's and all i can hardly wait

Le superficiel et la profondeur

Saint-Tropez est un théâtre de vanité. Celui qui ne plisse pas son regard ne verra qu'un bal funeste de désirs et d'esquives mais celui qui saura plisser et incliner son regard comprendra que se joue devant lui le théâtre du monde, le langage qui court après un impossible sens, le langage qui se fait matière et perd son oralité, on y est pour se voir et se savoir vu, l'existence brève sur ce long quai comme une courte carrière de comédien mais ce qui se donne ici à voir est bien plus réel que l'on veut bien le croire. Car dans le superficiel se love l'universel, Marcel Proust aurait sans doute écrit sur ces élégantes décadences qui parlent haur à ce que nous sommes. Et nul ne peut juger si cela est bien ou mal, cela "est". Nous devons l'admettre, comme une promenade dans les rues de Saint-Tropez nos vies humaines sont un théâtre d'ombres. Sublimes et dérisoires.

Bardot intemporelle

Je ne suis pas un fan de Brigitte Bardot. En cela mon opinion peut être objective. J'ai récemment vu l'exposition rétrospective qui se tient actuellement à Saint Tropez. Il en ressort un goût profond d'intemporalité et de modernité. L'exposition qui commence intelligemment par un pan consacré aux stars féminines qui l'ont précédée montre à quel point son art ne fut pas tant dans le cinéma ou la musique que dans les consciences, dans les désirs, dans l'implicite langage des corps. Elle fut l'héritière révoltée des femmes exploitées, des femmes cadenacées dans des carcans vestimentaires. Oui, elle est le mistral incarné. En cela elle doit suciter le respect profond d'une société qui lui doit beaucoup.

bardot revisited the english view

i first became aware of french female stars when i was school boy- michele morgan in the fallen idol she was too spohisticated too remote, then leslie caron a jolie laid gone american ,then there was bardot and not in french movie but doctor at sea. she had dark hair, a pony tail, flouncing skirts -french as we imagined all french to be and weren't .then came god created woman st tropez ,the hair ,the clothes the mambo, the pout stratospherically sexy, marilyn monroe was a joke by comparison . i dont think she made any good movies but that didn't matter. in england she was and is the only french movie star that means any thing .in england she became more than star ,a symbol of liberation and the south of france, she probably set everything the sixties were in motion .she also made st trop the place it is today ,both beautiful and over crowded .it has no railway station. there are marvellous things .the port de pecheur, the pamplone beach. bardot set the the st tropez goldrush in motion .the quay is for shameless showing off by people who should have enough money not to want to ,but there a places they dont go ,and the beaches are heaven the spring before the mob arrives .as for bardot still a star, still controversial ,animal rights, right wing politics .being bardot there is no no plastic surgery -she is as she is and the better for it. we appreciate her for what she was, and we admire her courage to be what she has decided to be. as a school boy i'll never forget the cinema in paris'' god created;''- on the screen .who did i envy more than anyone else in the world jean louis trintignant who not only won her in the movies but in real life too in the words of rhett butler when he described the untameable scarlett -what a woman some thing bardot was ,is and always will be