Working mens clubs

Just heard that the Working mens clubs are closing at a rate of 2 a month. The Coventry club visited by the queen in 1977 has just closed. It opened its doors in 1862!
These clubs claim they are falling into debt due to cut price drink in supermarkets and the smoking ban. Its a shame that these venues are closing and not being replaced by another family style place. I remember as a child going to the MG car working mens club in Abingdon. It closed soon after the factory closed in 1980. It offered family entertainment every Saturday night. At Xmas it gave it was filled due to good events. There was a great community feel. My sister like many others also had her wedding reception there.
Its a worry because where do communities go to get to know each other? The pubs are only children friendly during Sunday roasts. And who wants pubs full of children? I don't. Sports clubs are the only venue that I can think of that are still flying the family flag.
Society is slowly just becoming internalised and the links of familarity are going.

Lucretius

Reading a great book of verse by Lucretius. He wrote this great piece of work called On nature of the universe over 2000 years ago. Here is a sample and I hope you check this great classic out.

And if there exists so great a store of atoms
as all the years of life on Earth could never number,
And if the same great force of nature stands
ready to throw the seeds of things together
in the same way as they have here combined,
Then of necessity you must accept
that other Earths exist, in other places,
With varied tribes of men and breed of beasts.

Pub signs

Camra have a revamped magazine called Beer. First addition out now. Free to members but £3.95 to non members. Why not join up?

In this first addition is an article on pub signs. Some pictures are here.

Frankie Howerd

Just bought a book by Frankie Howerd for a bargain £1! Its called Howerd's Howlers 1985. Some quotes are typical Howerd.
" Business is very bad in the cinemas these days. Down at our Odeon they Don't put up programme times any more they just ask when you can come!"

" My dog bit the wife so I took it to the vet".
" Did you have it put down?"
" No, I had its teeth sharpened!"

An old regular arrived at the clubhouse one day with a brand new set of golf clubs.
" Got them for the wife."
" Really? By, jove you got a bargain there!"

Shirley found Mabel with her mouth full of doughnut in the cosy corner teashop.
" Guess what!" She confided. " I'm having an affair."
" Really? Who's doing the catering?"

I could go on quoting him for hours.

Blood tests

Its strange why blood tests are so horrendous. I wonder if its the thought of immortality? The realisation that one is mortal by seeing ones own blood. The worst of it is that ones own blood treated like a mear " thing". In other words not special.
Apart from the needle that the nurse uses to extract the precious fluid its the invasion of ones sacred body that is also the hub of the matter. Our blood is to be protected and not taken away in a glass tube. Plus it gives secrets away. A stranger will analyse the fluid and know things about us!
Aren't us humans strange?

Bad education!

Just recently I have been reading classic books that one is supposed to encounter that will add to personal thought. These books are by artist like Plato. I try not to get annoyed by my bad education at schools like Larkmead school Abingdon. But then again I can't help it. In the late 1970's each year had a day to use the library. It was not possible to enter the library if it wasn't your year's allocated day! How stupid! So I never used the library. Now I have always had a book on the go. As a child getting books was hard! I didn't get much pocket money and there was only books like Agatha Christie laying about at home. So during my childhood I had a literary drought!
Why I writing this is because I am now reading Lucretius and his epic verse " On the nature of the universe". I am annoyed because until recently I hadn't heard of Lucretius. His works seem so juicy and enlightening that I feel an injustice has befallen me. Why wasn't I told bout these artists at school?
Food for thought. What artist don't I still know about?

God

Just read a good book by Richard Dawkins called "The God Delusion". ts about there not being any God. He delves into subjects like child abuse. Abuse of their minds! Saying there are no religious children but children of religious children! He uses Darwin alot plus Pascal. Its not a one sided affair. He puts the otherside for the existence of God.
He brings up the fact that there are no terrorist attacks but religious attacks. Dawkins anger is that the politicians are afraid to call "terrorism" as a religious war.
The book goes deeply into the Bible stories and highlights the bloodshed and stupidity of the events told. He is baffled as to how so called intelegent individuals can believe such ancient tales.
It is worth a read to either make ones mind up about their religious standing or to enforce their beliefs.