Saturday 4 May 2019

Interference From Real Life

The fact that I can blog so much about works of fiction should not generate the impression that life is always peaceful here. A man who has instigated violence against Muslims in Britain and who also attended an anti-Semitic march in Poland is standing for the European Parliament here in the North West of England. It has become necessary to campaign against him.

Very early in the morning (call it the middle of the night) on Saturday, 11 May, Sheila and I will depart on a coach trip to Salou in Spain (see image), not to return until Sunday, 19 May. I am very unlikely to blog during that period.

In Poul Anderson's "How To Be Ethnic In One Easy Lesson," (see here) James Ching has "...occasional trips to Luna..." (p. 178) including, most recently, one for his sixteenth birthday. However, because, in the 25th century, there is regular FTL interstellar travel, Jimmy wants to attend the Academy, join the Brotherhood, become a spaceman and visit extra-solar planets like Cynthia, Gorzun and Ythri. Reading the Technic History chronologically, we have already seen Ythri and heard of Cynthia although this is the first mention of Gorzun. A future history is built brick by brick. From his aircar, Jimmy sees a bus containing a Lunarian, an Alfzarian, a spacehand and a journeyman merchant. The sounds like our pluralist society but more so.

5 comments:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

If the UK ever manages to disentangle itself from the useless EU, elections to the powerless and impotent so "parliament" of the EU will no longer matter. Because Britons would no longer run in those elections.

I hope you and Mrs. Shackley have a good time in Spain. And I will look up Salou. From the image given, it might be located on the south eastern Mediterranean coast of Spain.

And I share and sympathize with James Ching's longings!

Sean

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

Sean,
Two issues here. Whether we are in or out of the EU, people like Robinson will strive to make their prejudices respectable, sometimes by standing for election at some level, so we have to oppose them in any case.
Paul.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

I agree. But I simply can't take the impotent and powerless EU "parliament" very seriously.

Sean

Anonymous said...

Paul: is this "gentleman" Brexit Party (and not UKIP)?
According to Wikipedia:
A survey of 781 Conservative Party councillors found that 40% plan to vote for the Brexit Party.

-kh

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

Keith,
He was rejected by BREXIT and is standing as an Independent.
Paul.