First up this week was Luigi Pagano with
'The Hair of the Dog', a response to a story from Amsterdam about 'Alcoholics paid in beer to clean the streets' allegedly with the consequence of making those involed reduce their alcohol intake. One of the participants in the scheme, however, is reported as refuting this claim. According to the article, he told a reporter that 'we drink in a more structured way but I don't think we drink less'.
Tuesday brought us, on a more serious note, to P.K Deb's deeply felt and though-provoking
'Civil War and Syria' which reminds us of the anguish of 'Mother Syria' and asks us to 'listen carefully to the whispering prayer / that she leaves in the air'.
On Wednesday the topic was another kind of violence with Philip Johnson's
'before they abolish the rope', a brief and pithy response to the arrival of the 3 D gun. Over the past couple of weeks, we have found submissions have been dwindling so we are grateful to Philip for getting us out of a hole.
Again, due, at least in part, to the lack of other submissions, on Thursday it was me again with
'Greed is Good'. Regular readers may remember 'Holding Out for a Hero' which warned against the slyness of Mr Johnson who is, I believe, a very nasty piece of work. This week, however, appalled as I was to hear of this latest piece of moral repugnance, I was then shocked again to hear the story being covered in the BBC's 'The Papers ' without any of those present feeling the need to suggest, even in the gentlest way, that the promulgation of such a notion might be morally irresponsible, unethical, and socially destructive. Must be just me, then. I see. Ho hum.
Nothing available for Friday at the time of writing so I leave you for a lovely long weekend in a cottage by the River Fal which we have been given - yes,
given - by a friend who cannot make it. Long bracing walks, wood burner, mulled wine, that sort of thing. Have a good week next week.
Abigail Wyatt
