Relinquish prejudice, forsake opinion, abandon preference and others.

I read this online recently, and liked it. Not sure whether it applies to me particularly (except, of course, in the sense that it applies to everyone) but I liked it enough to save it somewhere and have just come across it again and decided to bung in on here.  

If your prejudice separates you from your brother,
relinquish it.

If your opinion separates you from your brother,
forsake it.

If your preference separates you from your brother,
abandon it.

If your theology separates you from your brother,
reject it.

If your religion separates you from your brother,
renounce it.

If your religious institution separates you from your brother,
leave it.

If your god separates you from your brother,
deny it.

(Unfortunately I can’t remember where I read it. Almost certainly on someone else’s blog, and even then I don’t know if it was their own words or a quotation from elsewhere. If it’s yours, do let me know and I’ll link back to where I found it.)

An interesting opportunity..?

Those of you who know me in what some people call “real life” will know that I have a reputation for being something of a chocoholic. Enough so that on my 40th birthday several friends clubbed together to get me a six-month membership of the Hotel Chocolat Tasting Club, which was a brilliant present that lasted half a year. (And one that I was able to share with my wife, which was a bonus.)

When I first got the idea of writing a blog or running a website many years ago, one of my first plans was to do one dedicated to chocolate, but for some reason or another that never happened. Instead I blogged (anonymously) about being an expectant father, and (anoymously again) about being a newly appointed magistrate before starting this blog that started about my beliefs – or rather my doubts – and has now become a random mishmash of anything. But I do read lots of blogs, one of which is the chocolate review site Chocablog.

And today I’ve just read that they’re looking for a couple of new reviewers. Interesting…

 I’ve put my name forward. And I wait with eager anticipation.

Men or machines?

I was around in the ’80s when Tik and Tok were doing one of the original robot dances and I loved it. So much so that I tried my best to replicate some of their moves. In fact I won second prize in a dance contest at a local community centre by doing my robot. (Even though I’d left it a bit late: other people were beginning to pick up some breakdancing moves by then.)

A couple of years ago I was looking online for clips of them, and do you know what – compared to what’s around these days they don’t actually seem all that good. But at the time it was new. And wonderful. And I loved it. I think I’ve mentioned that.

I could post a link to those early Tik and Tok routines, but instead I’ll show you these Japanese guys who go by the name of u-min and have taken the art to a whole new level.  Astonishing stuff.