Oh! to be wrapped - not hidden - from view?

I recall the absolute horror expressed by the British media at the sight of their football captain, David Beckam, wearing a very stylish sarong and sandals on a night out with his wife, Victoria. 

I was originally introduced to sarong wearing in the early 1980's by a partner who was often well-ahead of the pack when it came to fashionable attire (he wouldn't leave the house without an almost indistinguishable touch of make-up, his man bag and being fashionably late for everything!). 

Beach goers around the Mediterranean are of course assailed by immigrants selling either beach sheets with brightly coloured "eastern" designs or sarongs - usually tasseled as if Arabian. 

The sarong is of course still widely worn by men and women throughout the Far East - but rarely seen in the West away from the beach or pool. This is a shame. 

Historically it must have come fairly soon after the loin cloth ceased being made with leather and was replaced with a more delicate hand-woven cloth. The Scots and Irish of course have not extended much further than that (and I'm a Scot!) with their kilts - and although some would say they brave an artic freeze below ... their's is actually a far healthier attire than that of their trousered relatives south of the border. 

There are a number of different ways to wear a sarong and of course with different lengths down the leg. This makes it a thoroughly practical dress, easily adjusted and of course as colourful or drab as the occasion requires.

Men's fashions have changed must over the years but there does seem to have been in the latter half of the twentieth century at least, a preference for greater constriction: tighter suits, trousers and under-wear. And with it a declining sperm count and higher number of men with fertility difficulties. The medical advice? Wear looser clothing, ditch the briefs and give your bits space to breathe!

And so I respectfully propose that we re-invent the sarong and claim it for our own (as we have done tea, etc) and look for Paul Smith et al to develop and market a very British sarong for the street, the office and general everyday use. 

However for now, I suspect, that I am one of many who fold theirs away each autumn and sigh as we look forward to it being taken out and put in the suitcase when the next warm holiday approaches. How very British!

Body modifications - a prick of a fad?

Look around the carriage of your average train and note the number of people - of all ages - with some form of piercing or tattoo on show.  Gone are the days of just women sporting ear rings or decadent / camp men imitating Boy George. Piercings and their colourful cousins, tattoos, are here with a vengeance and with them a new concept: body modification. 

I have just been reading the aptly titled Piercing Bible by Elayne Angel - an expert in the subject and engaging writer, who maps the rise in its modern popularity as well providing an insight into some of the colourful characters behind the 1970's and 1980's revival of what is actually an incredibly ancient practice.

I am the product very much of an era that  disapproved of difference and if tattoos were considered at all it was with strong disapproval. Men with earrings belonged to primitive tribes - or had sailed around the world ( probably gathering anchor tattoos along the way). I gather the gold earring was meant to pay for a decent funeral wherever the hapless sailor died. 

As a school boy I learnt about piercing via an unusual route: primitive rock art in Central and Southern Africa abounds with images of men who we believe had been infibulated as a part of a ritual or rite of passage to prevent intercourse. In this type of male piercing the foreskin is stretched forward over the glans in order to permit a sharp spike to be pushed through. In Borneo a similar practice occurred but was / is done directly through the glans not to prevent sex -  but enhance the experience for the female partner.

Tattooing isn't quite such a traumatic experience as the needles used only penetrate a few microns in order to enable the ink or dye to penetrate the surface. History tells us (with obviously very few preserved examples) that this was practiced by our very earliest ancestors. Many cultures today continue to daub themselves in this way and it is probably safe to say that their art is copied by the modern primitives as some tattoo'd people call themselves.

Piercing takes the observer to arguably another level. Where one could and may do tut tut at the sight of a tattoo and judge its owner, there is a perception that it represents little more than a rebellious streak. Women with them were previously judged 'common' until the press noticed the wife of a British politician sporting one on her ankle.Pierced ears are probably still de rigeur women while men can sport earrings if they are wealthy, eccentric, or play football - but not in business, law or senior management! 

After reading Elayne Angel's book, my early understanding of the practices of the rock artists has changed and doubly increased my abhorrence of female infibulation and circumcision - the always non consensual mutilation of young girls predominantly in Africa. So too has been my unquestioning acceptance of male circumcision as a cultural right (and to some rite): what parents think or believe that they are doing when they agree or request that their newly born son be circumcised is difficult to comprehend in the light of modern medical thought. I think I'm correct in saying that Princess Diana put a stop to it in the Royal family. Our Roman civilisers did not approve of the 'Jewish practice' and even experimented with foreskin restoration. 

The modern fashion and portfolio of piercings do arguably emanate from three enterprising fans of the practice - Doug Malloy, Fakir Musafar and Jim Ward who operated out of Los Angeles in the 1970's and 1980's (and of course the so-called Punk rebellion). In addition to experimenting and providing exotic sounding names to different piercings, they also constructed a mythology and history - much of it fantasy. Elayne Angel studied and worked with these three men which adds considerable gravitas to her book and expertise in the subject.

Among the most infamous myths is of course the story of the Prince Albert. For the uninitiated this is a modern version of the rock artists' infibulation and involves a metal ring being inserted through the urethra. Eye watering or what? According to Malloy, this was named after Queen Victoria's consort who he claimed was the most famous person to sport one. A great story but there's apparently no evidence to support it! However this did not stop me recently convincing - with incredible ease - an American friend that all male members of the current British Royal family sport them ... well - Zara Phillips did have her tongue pierced didn't she?

Which returns me to the general perception or acceptance of piercings. Just like the scars of genital circumcision, the vast majority are apparently hidden from public view and the idea of them remains socially frowned upon. The issue that concerns me most, however, is that of choice. 

When I see a Muslim, Jew or male member of the so-called upper middle classes (Christian or secular), I sadly see a baby that was in all likelihood traumatised by a painful procedure carried out by adults exercising their dominance over him. I certainly don't see an informed adult voluntarily undergoing an operation that will have an unalterable effect upon him later in life. However when I see a person - usually a young person - sitting opposite me on the train with more metal than the Bank of England, I do conversely know that I am looking at someone who has consented to the body modification that he or she has had done: a question of personal choice rather than custom or questionable medical practice. Times certainly are a-changing ... 

A political convenience?

The announcement yesterday that Nigel Evans, Deputy Speaker in the House of Commons, had been arrested for allegedly sexually assualting two people he had considered to be his friends is a disturbing new political drama being played out in Westminster - and I suspect over the shire tea cups as well: you see gay people just can't help themselves can they? They have to rape and assualt others - albeit low lifes such as themselves.
The arrest and charges do come at an interesting time:
The gay Equal Marriage Act is due for tabling and debate this session of Parliament, although it will not appear as a part of this week's Queen's Speech outlining the session's agenda. How convenient to have a controversy at the heart of Westminster if you are looking for a reason to side-line an issue that is likely to prove every bit as devisive in the Tory shires as in the House? "Now is not the time to be debating the rights of gay people when one of the highest democratically elected officers of the land is under investigation for crimes of a sexual nature. Let the dust settle so that we can discuss and consider the issue of equal marriage in a quieter moment ..."
That Nigel Evans is a Eurosceptic and consequently at odds with the mainstream Tory administration, just adds to the rich mix of political intrigue. Because the so-called public interest dictates that people accused of sexual misconduct can be named while their accusers remain anonymous, an apparently unblemished character is set for many weeks of scrutiny as well as the worst sort of tabloid innuendo. The truth will not formally emerge until the police have concluded their enquiries in June or thereabouts.
In cases such as this ALL parties should be anonymous until the matter has been resolved in court. I am strongly defensive of the notion that we are all innocent until proven guilty. Based upon his statement and what few facts have so far been shared, I don't suspect him to be guilty of anything other than a poor choice of friend and sexual partner.

Change by consultation or imposition?

My organisation is undergoing extensive change at the moment. Some jobs are going; new systems are being introduced; new offices and in all a general bustle as people look and feel vulnerable with this snippet of information and then relaxed as they hear differently.

Nothing ever stays still - that is the central premise behind the Zen Buddhist proposition of wabi sabi. Accept change and the suffering associated with trying to oppose it will of itself diminish or disappear. We are always looking in whatever business we do, for ways to make efficiencies, reduce costs, simplify our messages and so on.

At a lunch last Friday where this topic was discussed by a small group of colleagues, the consensus was that while morale was low, none could see any other way of effecting change other than in the manner it was currently being approached. However that agreement was conditional: some thought that perhaps the wrong people were being consulted over the proposed changes, that solutions were premeditated and the leadership failing to understand the core business. Trust - a huge word in any organisation - was bandied about.

This notion of managerial ignorance brought to mind the wise counsel of Basho who, when asked how best to write poetry, said: "If you want to learn about the pine, go the pine; if you want to learn about the bamboo, go to the bamboo. When you have become one with them, then your poetry will come by itself."

It is indeed not only arrogant of leaders to impose solutions on those they lead (we know best) but also foolish. The people who know best are generally those who are closest to the service being delivered and, if treated as equal partners in the business of change, will embrace it and even possibly improve upon it.

One man
and one fly in this enormous
guest room.
(Issa)

Passwords

If there is one thing that I would assign to Room 101 it is passwords.

Go to the bank to draw money - what's your pin? Turn on iTunes - what's your password? Blogger - what's your password? Email, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram - what's your password? ...

We are a generation obsessed, it seems, with stealing and protecting our identities. The more complicated our lives become in terms of technological dependancy, so the more open we are to deception. To combat it, we devise ever more complicated password strategies and of course Rule #1 is NEVER use the same password on two different applications ... and #2 is to keep changing them. Many applications insist on bizarre combinations of numbers, letters, capitals and symbols.

My memory has never been great (my few lines in school plays were often delivered via the prompt off-stage) but until recently it has been reliant upon the hidden pocket book with all my passwords carefully disguised: an apple to indicate my iTunes account password ... a £ sign - the bank ... I joke of course, but I can see why there is a growing demand for "secure" app's for use on iPhones etc and in which to encrypt and store passwords from prying eyes, and yet keep them close at hand; and I of course now have one such (marvellous) app. on my iPhone.

Now what was the password to open it, again?