Teachers

The teachers are striking again, but this year they've chosen to march along Aldwych and Strand, a route that takes them past our office twice. I wouldn't normally object (actually that's not entirely true), but they were very noisy, they left much of their literature on the streets and they blocked the roads. They are now heading to Westminster after a helpful policeman pointed them in the right direction.

Legal Developments

The BBC is running a story about a change to the law that will, hopefully, force people to justify their spiritual claims (link):

"A change in the law could mean mediums, psychics and healers face prosecution if they cannot justify their claims."

I like the idea of being able to sue mind-readers or faith healers when they fail to deliver - maybe it will encourage their punters to ask questions rather than blindly to accept their statements as fact.

The next question is "why limit the law to mediums, psychics and healers?" Our local Anglican church runs regular poster campaigns containing impressive, and unsubstantiated, claims about their ability to save people and it would be interesting to see these claims challenged in court, I think.

Quote of the day

From the biggest selling novel of all time, The Bible:

If men get into a fight with one another, and the wife of one intervenes to rescue her husband from the grip of his opponent by reaching out and seizing his genitals, you shall cut off her hand; show no pity.

That is from Deuteronomy, Chapter 25, verses 11 and 12 and it sounds pretty reasonable to me. Here is another commandment that is relatively easy to follow:

You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain.

Same chapter, verse 4. Whoever said that the Bible contained no wisdom?

It snowed today for the first time this year and within an hour we had around two inches of the white stuff. Driving was fun, but I made it out to the local woods (near Titchfield) to take a few photos.