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The picture depicts the author at work, though not as well, he is told, as one of an orang-utan would have done.


My regular commenter Mary from Australia and I have had a nice to-and-fro about Ryanair in the Nixon post below. I love blogland for this sort of thing--when people of goodwill can just say what they think and know that their ideas will be shaped up and that, if shown wrong or to be acting from a personal perspective (as I was, probably) they aren't being personally insulted. Unfortunately, klutz that I am, I mislaid Mary's last comment after I read it but before I could put it up.

The times when I have disliked blogland have been personal ones when spite or badness, on this or other blogs, have obscured arguments. I do, occasionally, like a good fight too, but only with those of bad will. I like it, though, when people who have life's priorities properly sorted, like Mary has or AC seem to has, point out that my own version of cleverness more than occasionally involves articulating my own prejudices. I wish more people had commenters like them. I still dislike Ryanair though!

So--to Mary, bob, AC, and the others who from time to time write in, many thanks, and never worry about saying what you think. Anyone of bad intent will be filtered through my own fairly Draconian moderation....

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