Saint Martin of Tours, whose feast day is November 11th (tomorrow) in the West, as well as being something of a big noise in France, is also officially the patron saint of soldiers, but might I reckon  just as well be the patron saint of conscientious objectors. He was around in the fourth century AD, and was a real European, born in Hungary, growing up in Italy and ending up in France. Martin, a forced conscript at the age of 15 into the Roman army in which his father had served as an office... Read Full Story

Or the strange fascination God’s people have with the world they’re in. Stephen Stills was a great songwriter, and there’s no doubt ‘Love the one you’re with’ is a catchy song, which accounts for the fact that it’s been covered by gazillions of artists since Stills released it in the early 1970s. But for me I find the amoral nature of the lyric fairly nauseating: And if you can’t be with the one you love Love the one you’re with Love the o... Read Full Story

I recently got a copy of Robert Crumb’s illustrated book of Genesis for review. I’m not going to print my whole review here, it’s going elsewhere, but I am going to give a quick/short form review as I know lots of people will be interested in the book. Of course Crumb is a justly famous artist, his mastery of pencil and pen is amazing, and the artwork in this version of the Genesis text is incredible. Moreover he doesnt take any liberties with the text, it’s basically ... Read Full Story

So the book is progressing, which is kind of exciting. Because it is now out of my hands I dont really feel like its a real entity at the moment, except for brief flashes of excitement now and then, like today when I was sent a bunch of potential covers to have a look at, actually I thought there were about four really good options in the bunch, but one stood out as my favourite, and the same one was picked out by a couple of others I asked, so I now think I have an idea what the book will lo... Read Full Story

The news that Simon Mann is being released from his confinement in a deep dark African jail is no doubt cheering for his family, but probably less so for the likes of Mark Thatcher who will no doubt be rueing the day that he ‘paid for an air ambulance’. Mann’s remarkable ability not to remain tight lipped will surely result in some candid remarks to newspapers in weeks to come. But surely, one might think Mann is something of a one off, an unusual case, there can’t be ... Read Full Story

About a year and a half ago, or perhaps a bit more I began to be intrigued by a guy called Saoirse who was planning to walk to India in a kind of pilgrimage to spread the word of the ‘freeconomy’ where people give things to one another without using the usual trading mechanism of money. Poor old Saoirse you may remember got as far as France, where unfortunately his caper came to a sad end when he realised he couldnt speak French, and the French realised he had no money to travel ... Read Full Story

What is new monasticism? What is the difference between monks and friars? And are we heading for a 1930s revival? The/my answers to all these questions, plus a competition and a joke are all to be found in the following article… In the 1930s much of the world was gripped by a severe financial downturn, this downturn was one of the factors which (arguably) precipitated the rise of right wing politics, and even the second World War. But it also precipitated a birth of a wave of ‘New... Read Full Story

Norman Painting 1924 – 2009 A very fine actor, and a legend of radio drama. I’m always sad when someone in The Archers dies, dont know why. But I know my sadness is nothing compared to what his family must be feeling, they can I hope be comforted a little by the knowledge that his work was appreciated by so many. Read Full Story

Yeah ok, it doesnt quite have that same Christmas time ring to it, but unless you happen to have an open fire handy (not in this flat mate) it’s a good deal more practical. If you are living tramp style, with a campfire and a load of chestnuts, try sticking them in a pan over the fire and cooking them like that, yum yum. Anyway, for those of us without campfires to hand… So you want to know what to do with those windfall chestnuts you scrounged? In fact there’s plenty you ca... Read Full Story

Vampire weekend are a band that I really rate, they mix a wide selection of musical styles and quirky lyrics, and make fantastic tunes. The first song I heard of theirs which really made me prick up my ears was Cape Cod Kwasa Kwasa, which is a really great tune. More recently though I’ve been thrilled to hear Horchata, which is just a superb tune. Its on the forthcoming album ‘Contra’ which is released in January 2010, but you dont have to wait (or pay) to get the song, it&... Read Full Story