To the Library

And while we are on the subject of Libraries (again... Ed)
Forbes is thought by a multitude of librarians and other interested parties, (as reported by the Grauniad
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/jul/23/twaddle-librarians-respond-to-suggestion-amazon-should-replace-libraries?)
to talk a lot of Twaddle!
We may not be technically proficient in the subject of Twaddle but we feel our basic grounding in the discipline of FLAKENEWS qualifies us to offer our own brief disquisition. We shall refrain, however, from bellyaching about the evils of austerity, the callousness of cuts, the hosting  of hostilities, the visiting of the dead and the burying of the sick and all the other Works of Corporeal Murphy. Rather, we shall ask you to consider that libraries are one of the few services provided by a civilised society where we agree to share the use of stuff which we do not own except in a collective sense. While this may not work with donkeys, see Idris Shah and the exploits of the Sainted Mullah Nasrudin, it most certainly does for reading and listening material held in libraries real and virtual and has done in a good way for many thousands of years (on stone tablets no doubt...Ed). This alone would convince me but, of course as the good librarians point out, libraries do more, much more. The fact that some Bald Bozo wants to take over the world and sell us the same donkey twice should not influence us one bit or byte even! He can away and polish his heed!

And now a shelfie from our sponsors.

(Do you not think all these murdery, thrillery things might give people the wrong idea about a transcendentally named Blog the wrong idea... Ed?)

Yes!

Small Orchards of Time and Space

The man is back with Book of the Week.

Raja Shehadeh - Where the line is drawn.

We were discussing time at the dinner table tonight and I thought I would tap into book of the week on the beeb. Almost the first phrase, above, drew me in. Give it a go!

Camino Del Libros

 (Do you not think a spoiler alert would be a kindness at this point...Ed)

Prospective readers who may believe that the 'Butler done it' should visit an optician and a doctor now!

I enjoyed being set up to follow the finely plotted heist only to see the rapid degeneration of the theft into a murderous farce. No such thing as the perfect crime and criminals have feet of clay and hearts of stone. For all their technical majesty and resources the Federal Bureau of Ineptitude were unable to make the closure of a conviction in the face of 'no comment'. So it is up to the plucky and no doubt delightful insurance investigator to pull the cat or rather the Gatsby out of the (swag) bag.
I found it a ripping good yarn and a relaxing way to cope with the recent drought and heat wave.
My only complaint, and this is not damming with faint praise, is that I did not like the ending. It was tricky and neat and all things Grisham. BUT far too easy an ending for Bruce who had committed the most heinous of crimes. In his corner you might claim that he is not a genocidal maniac a mass murderer, rapist or child molester, fair enough. He did however "traffic in stolen books". It is not a defence or plea in mitigation that no books were harmed in the process. The august and wealthy educational institution could stand the hit and the insurance company would, no doubt, collectivise their losses.
 The blackguard was a party to the stealing of the books!
Hanging, drawing and quartering are not enough.
But then I always was a tender-hearted liberal!

Flake News

Have you been troubled by Flake News recently?

Do you feel bloated?
Do you suffer from hair loss?
Do you find yourself subject to insurmountable urges and rages?
Are you afflicted by mood swings?
Has your skin taken on a strange orange pallor?

You may be suffering from  FLAKENEWS!!
This condition can also cause disruption of sleep, rational thought, digestive functions, family and sexual relations.

If you have been affected by any of the above you should seek the advice of a registered medical practitioner. 

Help is available and you may, if you wish, contact Flakeanon a support group for those with the condition or their families, loved ones, political affiliates and persons providing financial services.

Please contact our agents on the Island of Ben Nevis!

(Dear god! No posts for months and then this, this Farage of Alt Facts and Remainer Hokum. It must be the heat...Ed)

I don't need a weather man to tell me which way the wind blows! As someone once said.