It was just a few bars of a song, but I recognised the song. The occasion was news of the death of Robbie Robertson, guitarist and songwriter of The Band.
And the song name?. Not enough time to fire up my trusty Shazam app - I am so modern. These days I have to do thought association to invigorate the memory cells. 'Easy Rider' - 1969 film, with soundtrack album that I once had on vinyl - flew into my consciousness. I googled the album and perused the song titles. Don't know why, but 'The Weight' (of course written by Robertson, I now realise) struck a faint chord. Loaded it and listened. Within a couple of bars, and not the ones I had heard initially, I recognised it as that song.
BTW if you re-read the paragraph above you will note three instances of using a smartphone. Apparently life did work before then.
And then I recalled seeing the film: Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, Harley Davidsons, and Jack Nicholson getting stoned. The vicarious sense of rebellion that evaporated on the way back to my mother's house in Broadstairs, Kent as I realised that I was behind on my English homework.
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That scion of progressive language on the Today Programme, Amol Rajan, was giving an example of something. He described it as a 'takeout'. I had previously become familiar with the 'takeaway', something you have learnt, say on a course, and that you could put into practice, and had stifled the nausea welling up the moment 'takeout' came into view. Yet I learn. Someone give Mr Rajan a pizza box.
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Speaking of the Holy Grail of morning news listening, I go for the off button as soon as Thought for the Day comes on. I do not discriminate between religions, and make occasional exceptions - the Rev Lucy Winkett of St James's Piccadilly, and any Rabbi (although I find Chief Rabbi Mirvis on the ponderous side), This morning it only took 'It's 12 minutes to eight and time...' for me to be off the mark. And I had to be quick, as the radio was on in another room. I am grateful that the speaker had such a long role title - 'contemporary Christianity' featured - that I got to the button just as the voice was about to kick in.
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J D Salinger's description of frailty as 'not having the courage to be an absolute nobody'. Needs to be understood against the desire of an older person to remain relevant. To be applied to anyone who has once been important in business or political life.
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I stayed recently in a comfortable hotel, double-room for £175 per night including full breakfast. A reasonably authoritative report suggests that currently c. 120,000 asylum seekers are being kept in the UK at an average cost of £100 per night (not all in hotels).
The answer to the dilemma is of course that migrant claims for asylum should be processed more quickly, so as to separate true asylum seekers from economic migrants. But, as a I wrote about a month or so ago, I doubt that this greater efficiency is what our Government wants: the aim is to have no immigration whatsoever except on terms directed by the Government. 'Legitimate migrants or not under international human rights law, we don't want them'. Or rather, this is the implicit line that will keep many Conservative voters in the fold during a year leading up to a General Election.
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Poor BBC, forced by scheduling obligations to relegate Josh Kerr's 1,500m (blue riband event) World Championships Gold Medal to he 9pm BBC3 highlights programme, to make way for the confected nonsense of 'The Hundred'.
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To La Cage Aux Folles at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre. For Legally Blonde a while back the audience, as pink in parts as the actors, was an exuberant delight. La Cage was different, a restrained cohort, and if you wanted to stereotype, there were the elegantly dressed same-sex male couples of an older generation sashaying through the entrance gates. The clue might have been from the vintage of the show.
But my sentiment was sadness, men of 'a certain age' exhibiting minimal physical closeness, the upshot of repressive years where the brush of hand on shoulder could raise an eyebrow and a holding of hands a full-blown disdainful dirty look. For these ancien couples, timing was not in their favour.
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Eyes have not been much on Israel recently. The weekly demonstrations have continued, but a 20 plus and counting weeks of protest is sooner or later not news for the world's media. However, courtesy of my Tel Aviv correspondent there is an interesting development, though I must shorthand to avoid boring you.
Essentially Netanyahu's antics have forced him into a coalition where his Government depends upon ultra orthodox parties for retaining power. The minimal expectation of the ultra orthodox is being allowed to profess their faith unhindered. Part of that profession is the study of the Torah (the first five books of the Hebrew bible). For ultra orthodox men this means full-time study, without the encumbrances of....having to work...or join the military.
Now the difficulty: with the population of ultra orthodox Jews growing, who is to drive the economy and underpin the military? Everyone else. But in protest against Government plans to limit the power of the judiciary, men are threatening not to serve as reservists (essential back-up to the regular Israel Defence Force), and the powerhouse technology sector will be thinking of a 're-balancing' away from Israel.
So, surprise surprise the ultra orthodox factions are seeking for the brake to be put on the judicial changes (I will not say reforms), but are insisting on Torah study being enshrined in law as being of equal value to economic activity. Well, that's religion.
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With Max Verstappen vrooming his way to another season of F1 dominance, is not Channel 4's 'Formula 1 Highlights' a contradiction in terms?
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Very short postcard from Devon
A long weekend, to attend a wonderful Big Birthday celebration. Enough time to take in Fernworthy Reservoir on Dartmoor, and Hound's Tor. Climbing the latter sounds like a major achievement, but in fact it was no more than a 300 metre scramble up a hill from the car park. Oh, how Facebook photos can be deceptive.
However, also a new phrase learnt. Dartmoor appears to specialise in single-track lanes, made more imposing by high hedgerows that create a claustrophobic effect and make negotiating passing points even more stressful....especially when the hedgerows are unkempt and serious twigs protrude. Which results in my newly learnt expression 'Devon polish'. Devonians struggle to avoid the paintwork scratches.
There is a further twist. My thinking was that the hedgerows must be perfect for certain species of wildlife. But my informant on Devon polish told me a tale. At an early point after his relocation from the Home Counties, he executed the single-track passing manoeuvre, needing to do a reverse slightly into a hedgerow...except there was only a couple of inches of hedge before a stone wall. Ouch. Sorry, birds.
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When I last upgraded my phone, it was an in-store one hour operation, the duration probably due to my neurosis over being cast adrift in the Purgatory between old one and new one.
This time different. I used a store again for convenience, though not for the convenience of the sales assistant, who seemed discomforted by the interruption to his FIFA 23 session. We didn't engage initially, possibly due to his drawling delivery and continuing to chew gum, but soon we moved into swift negotiation of a sale, using one phrase questions and one phrase answers.
Out of the store within 20 minutes. And to be honest, with the Cloud, set-up is easy; a simple pairing of phones delivered the necessary within a few hours. As to 'customer care"...
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Rumour that Conservative Central Office may push for Mayor Khan to be given powers to impose a ULEZ on Mid-Bedfordshire.
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Last item, for which I claim no credit other than picking it out. Many of you will know of online neighbourhood forums. The following encompasses the best (or worst) of the posts - I am amazed that it got through the 'admin'.
Enjoy!
'Found: baby helicopter
I was patrolling the area around the Curtaintwitchers Lane allotments, filming people who didn't look right .I could hear a buzzing sound coming from one of the cannabis plants, and I found this little feller, apparently abandoned.
I know people say we shouldn't encourage them but this is only a baby.
Does anyone know of a local charity that looks after or rehomes them?
I'd keep him myself but my household is full of missing cats, stolen catalytic convertors and aggressive beggars.'
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The author is a writer, speaker, historian, occasional tour guide, and former Managing Partner of a City law firm.