a blog by howard jameson @ gatheringgrace.org

Truth or dare...

I enjoyed Kester's short piece about car commercials.

In the last fortnight I have had two punctures, both caused by clipping kerbs on roads too narrow for two way traffic with our contemporary road hoggers (mine included). So the last two days-off have involved trips to ATS to get the tyre replaced.

"See you next Tuesday", said the rather too chipper attendant this week.

My particular bugbear car advert at the moment is the one of the Volvo automatic braking system which is used because the driver is so attentive to his family that he doesn't see the donkey step into the road until the last minute, but the careful lovely tree hugging car saves the day and brakes for him. The final shot is of the family looking into the sunset complete with the donkey! Surely the reality should have involved some equine roadkill splattered so as to prove that nothing can harm your precious family when they are in their lovely Volvo (unless its somebody in an even bigger car, that is).

So come on car manufacturers, dish out some truth! We dare you.

(Having said that this one is a family favourite)

Celebrity self-importance

Sorry but this made me angry and feel rather sick.

Paris Hilton has appealed against a 45 day jail sentence for drink driving offences because (to quote a petition she endorses) she...

provides hope for young people all over the US and the world. She provides beauty and excitement to (most of) our otherwise mundane lives

Sorry, can't type...

...still speechless...

...no, can't say anything...

...stumped

New picture of me

Thanks to Zoe, who drew a very fetching portrait of me during the service a couple of Sundays ago...

...slim, no grey hair, smiling - what more could you want from an honest picture? I don't wear a red cincture though.

Post-Modern faith and the Matrix

As somebody who has watched the Matrix many times, seeking our references to spirituality, I thought this link might be of interest. It gives you the chance to watch something else and look for references to the Matrix. There's also a sequel that doesn't have any new ideas, so another similarity...

Heinekin used to "refresh the parts other beers cannot reach", it now makes you move like Neo.

The reality gap

I saw this article on BBC News about an exhibition of photographs, the subjects of whom are people who adopt an on-line persona. This is a good example of the reality gap that exists in contemporary culture between the real and imagined/portrayed/desired.

This area includes advertising and so forth, and to that end I have added a category.