David Aaronovitch - Times Online - WBLG

Images of George

George Galloway's blog opens with no fewer than ten pictures of George. With Ceaucescu dead and Saddam on trial, I think this may be a contemporary record for a single page - but I invite other entries. With evidence, because there will be a prize. Oh yes there will.

Contra Norm

Norman Geras, who blogs as Norm, is my brother. And admonition from him sends me back to my arguments, since he's clever and sound. You may read what he said about my take on smoking (below) here.

He makes two arguments, the first essentially right and the second - I think - an example of magical thinking. The bit that's right...............

There must be an alert out...

Within 20 minutes of each other these two e.mails arrived this lunchtime. I am posting them here so that the writers have their say, while I can keep my promise not to reply to round-robins.

I've been a bad, bad blogger

It's been one of those periods when you mean to get your hair cut, and never find the time. You can catch me on BBC2's What The Papers Say tonight (Saturday) and, tart that I am, News 24's Head to Head tomorrow. I'm running in the Hastings half-marathon earlier on Sunday - the first five miles are uphill, so it's a challenge. One other thing........... 

Message from Miami

It's cold over here, and turkey vultures have set up a roost in a nearby condo block. All the talk, of course, is of Dick Cheney and his bagging of a lawyer friend in lieu of a quail. It is the perfect story. Cheney peppering a Republican pal has sparked good and bad jokes throughout the press and TV here. My favourite was Jay Leno's joke that the ambulance team called to the scene initially took Cheney away on a stretcher - through force of habit. Something on smoking later this evening when I get back from the mall.

Let this be a lesson to me

Following the post earlier I received a number of communications either from Benjamin, or from Craig Brown. I reproduce them in order below. I won't be taking comments on what follows because, frankly, it can't be improved upon. That's my view.

Benjamin arrives

This morning the first Benjamins arrived in my comments box. For those readers new to blogging, there is a type of comment-poster (usually known as a "troll") whose object isn't to tell the world what they think, or add to the discussion, or just to have a good old-fashioned argument, but to suck the air out of the room.

Moderating comments

Just so that you know, I do it myself. I try not to delete posts just because they are critical or even a bit weird. What I can't stand, though, is a kind of deliberate sabotaging of discussion. But I haven't had much of that yet (said Pollyanna).