The stuff of science fiction. Banquets and food aid lines and food banks: a bit of a contrast.

 It has been reported that China has successfully collected rock samples from the dark side of the moon. I wonder what they will learn from them. And today I came across a report that sounds like the stuff of a science fiction story: two US astronauts are stranded in space on board Boeing’s Starliner capsule.  Nobody seems too worried about it at the moment.

Back on earth, yesterday King Charles hosted a state banquet for the emperor of Japan. On the television news I saw the ‘great and good’ progress into the banqueting hall: King Charles accompanying the empress, the emperor accompanying Camilla, and other royal folk and less royal guests following behind, two by two, in a positively medieval procession.

Anyone really interested can google information about what they ate, no doubt sumptuous fayre (an appropriately medieval word for food!).

In contrast I remembered a video I saw recently of Palestinian children lining up, small bowls in hand, to receive a ladleful of food - another almost mediaeval, or at any rate Dickensian scene.

Then there are those food banks. I read an article this morning about the singer Taylor Swift. I can’t say I am acquainted with her music but I am told she is talented. Prince William and Paul McCartney, according to some a prince of the pop music world, have been seen dancing at her concerts. I just wonder why she feels the need to perform in her underwear, but maybe I’m just growing old. Anyway, it seems that she has been making huge donations to food banks in every city of the UK where she has performed on this tour. Good for her! Maybe others should follow her example. 

Here are a couple of photos: 

one of items that are banned from entering Gaza 

and one of the much smaller number items permitted to enter Gaza. 

Interesting!

And here is another item from Michael Rosen’s ‘The King and his Tutor’:

'Tutor,' said the King, 'can you think of a situation in which everyone is the enemy?'

'It's possible,' said the tutor, 'what do you have in mind?'

'What if, for example,' said the King, 'we need to liquidate the enemy over there?'

'Go on,' said the tutor.

'Well, won't we find that part of the problem we would face with a job like that is that all sorts of busybodies would want to monitor what we're doing? said the King.

'Yes, that's a good point,' said the tutor. 

'And these busybodies spread bad news about us...' said the King.

'Yes indeed, they do,' said the tutor.

'Well what do we do about that?' said the King.

'If I get you right,' said the tutor, 'you're suggesting that we have to regard these busybodies in just the same way as we regard the enemy itself.'

'What concerns me though,' said the King, 'is that people will say that busybodies have rights of some kind or another and if we're seen to be eliminating these busybodies, it will reflect badly on us.'

'Oh I don't think you would need to worry about that,' said the tutor, 'our systems of sharing information are much more widely distributed than anything that the busybodies (or their supporters) can muster.'

'Oh that's alright then,' said the King.

'Yes,' said the tutor.

Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!