Is Louisa M Alcot Still The Quiet Feminist?

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well.

Normally I don't make claims about myself as a reader but I wonder whether outside of North America what other man in the 21st century has read two books by Ms Alcot other than Little Women?

Could it be because I've a particular interest in nineteenth century women writers? Or could it be because I just downloaded a load of free books onto my Kindle? That I'll leave you to decide.

Anyway after reading An Old Fashioned Girl I put forward the view that Louisa Alcot was the quiet feminist. A person who would not so much rock the boat as gently sway it. Such a person is actually quite important as if you consider any malign orthodoxy there is a need for people to weaken it before somebody/ some group comes along and destroys it. Louisa Alcot falls into that catagory.

So we come to Eight Cousins the story of Rose,a recently orphaned young girl who is looked after by her aunts whilst her actual guardian, her uncle, is out to sea and her adventures particularly dealing with her cousins (aka boys).

I did think even when I was reading the novel that I'd made a mistake reading it given that it was a novel for young girls. Being a fifty six year old man with an occasional back problem I'm obviously not Ms Alcot's target audience. Until this morning I was of the view that had I realised that before hoovering up all those free books on the Kindle I would have read it. However I've subsequently learnt that there was a sequel with Rose as an adult. I'm glad I read it now though to chat about Eight Cousins properly I reckon I'd need to read that subsequent book first.

But for the moment we come back to the question of the title. Is Louisa May Alcot the quiet feminist? I would say yes. Without spoiling the end at first glance you would think that Rose has been subsumed into patriarchal society, she @knows her place@ as it were.

But throughout the book she is the one who confronts the problems dealing with herself and her male relatives. She is the one who for example, nurses, confronts someone smoking tobacco (yes even then) and is even an educator.

There is an interesting line that strong women are tomboys, implying that they need a bit of male chracter. At first glance it would seem that she's saying females need to act like men, but of course tomboys are actually a mixture of male characteristics but they're still women.

However at the end the message is clear. Men (who incidentally are not evil - In the three books of Ms Alcot I've read I don't get the impression that she doesn't like them) my seemingly rule but without women they're helpless. And if you forget the "rule" bit it's something the wife says to me all too often.

Until the next time.

The Battle For The Future Of The BBC. Who Cares? For Welsh Nationalism The Battle Is For S4C/Radio Cymru

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Before I begin properly I will be repeating in this post a few things I have mentioned before about S4C. I make no apologies for this as it would appear that whilst the battle still continues the battleground has shifted.

Also for those who will say "Typical nationalist. Only thinking about the Welsh language and not English language programming in Wales" just remember that come independence the BBC as an organisation will not exist anyway. What the Welsh media picture as a whole should be post independence  is a discussion for another day.

So back to the BBC, whose current funding model is under threat from this Conservative Westminster administration. Many options have been put in it's place, the most talked about is a subscription service.

Now to be honest I'm not certain whether I would be interested in subscribing. Taken as a whole the BBC seems to be rather like Welsh Labour. An organisation with a glorius past that hides a reltively inglorius present. Leaving aside S4C/Radio Cymru for a moment I cannot say I watch/listen to a lot of BBC content anymore. Of course partly that's because the choice is a lot wider than when I was a child. But still there are less and less programmes now where I say to myself "I must watch that".

Nationalists of whatever celtic part of the country are no friends of the BBC believing it to have an anti independence agenda taking things as a whole.

Yet it's important that S4C and Radio Cymru (part financed by the BBC and advertising in S4C's case) is taken out of any subscription model that the BBC might eventually find itself in. It is a unique service providing information and entertainment in the Welsh language. It's also important to the cultural wellbeing of the nation.

Ah you say but S4C has low ratings. True. But as I've written about before the biggest problem S4C faces is not the langiage but the fact that it's just one channel. It has to be BBC1, BBC2, BBC3, BBC4, BBC Parliament, BBC News Channel, Ceebies and CBBC in just one stream. As a consequence it cannot offer the same options as other media outlets can. It's why S4C needs, even if crammed full of repeats, a second TV channel so it can offer choice.

How can it be funded? Well why should decisions on the financing of a Welsh language channel be controlled by Westminster? Why can't it control be in the Senedd? Proper devolution of what is clearly a Welsh resource is not an unreasonable aim. A Welsh government would understand the dangers to the language of these channels going subscription.

So whatever the future holds for the BBC let it fight it's own battles. Let us just fight to protect what is clearly Welsh.

Until the next time.

A Weapon Of Wax Destruction

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

A couple of days ago at work I noticed that a colleague wasn't walking comfortably. I asked why and she explained that a candle had dropped on her foot breaking two toes.

Now I must admit that my first reaction was to laugh (well you would wouldn't you?) in the same way that you would on seeing someone slip on a banana skin showing concern instantly afterwards.

Only later did I realise that when she was talking of a candle my colleague wasn't talking about a small thin white construction that people might use if there's a power cut. No she had been injured by a Yankee Candle or one of their competitors type of waxed construct. In other words a heavy lump of wax encased by a heavier lump of glass. So whether the candle had been dropped by accident or thrown in anger (I don't know) it would hurt.

A quick digression. I've never understood the popularity of scented candles. Or at the very least a candle whose scent is not easily identifiable. In our bathroom we have a Yankee Candle with the scent of "Wakiki Melon". Now unless you're a resident of the area or an expert in exotic versions of everyday food then how do you know it's accurate? Where (my case Wales) are there such knowledgeable people close to hand? It all seems very dubious to me.

Anyway back to the subject of a candle as a weapon other than for pyromaniacs. And this is the moment when I'm going to chat about a Roald Dahl story so you've been spoiler alerted.

There is a story where a wife kills her husband using a frozen piece of meat only to cook it later thus the evidence unknowingly finds itself in the stomachs of the police officers investigating the murder. Well exactly the same thing could happen here.

Your only real requirement is a good throwing arm. But if you're able to hit and knock out the victim you can then light the candle in it's normal place before leaving the house thus assuming the person is slowly dying because of a head injury or falling down the stairs their last moments are at least full of probably some obscure scent. The weapon will be hidden in plain sight.

You then return, feigning shock and distress as you call the police and then watch as they ponder what has happened. If (and it's a big if) your throwing arm is good then there  is a good chance that you will get away with it. If only because the means is not clear.

Before you ask I wouldn't do it personally. Because a) I love my wife b) I don't have a good throwing arm c) I would be an instant suspect because I've written this post and d) I've already told her of my theory.

Still the capacity of those big fat glassed candles as a weapon of wax destruction should not be overlooked. You have been warned.

Until the next time.