I fear that the wheels are about to fall of the esteemed Chariot.
Haven’t you noticed that the number of active participants is in free fall?
Shame.
Oh and by the way…..
I fear that the wheels are about to fall of the esteemed Chariot.
Haven’t you noticed that the number of active participants is in free fall?
Shame.
Boadicea's Chariot 
Agreed, but what can anyone do?
Backside: The Chariot has been quiet for some time. We all have things to do and other interests. Still,we all pop in now and again and make our presence known. I’ve had health issues recently — a light stroke in November — and haven’t had the same energy levels since.
CT, (I don’t know your alter ego!), you are a regular! Yes, avery few of us drop in regularly. The rest contribute very few posts and very spasmodic comments. This isn’t just a lack of critical mass, it’s a lack of interest. Result: the end.
CO, well! Is there another blog that intelligent people use?
Backside: You’ve been saying that for years.
Dear Janus,
Yes, you have been predicting the end for years, and frankly, if it were not for your regular contributions then it probably would come true. Still a loyal band remain and the contributions are still interesting to read.
I’m useless at contributing to anything at the moment but I do make an effort with regard to the former MyT creative writing group which is much the same. Contributions by way of short stories are a bit thin on the ground too.
In my case, I do follow all the blog posts and comments here, which doesn’t help, but it’s not exactly lack of interest, it’s more that I am really lacking in the time and energy, due to too many things happening in real life! Few of them are of interest to others, so I’m reluctant to bore you all to death. I’m fed up with politics and world events at the moment – far too depressing!
Frankly, I would be sad were the Chariot to close, and apologies for doing not much about it, but that’s life. I feel that in some ways it’s slightly better to let real life interfere with blogging rather than the other way round.
Look at it positively, this site has lasted longer than any of the other MyT spin-offs and if fewer people contribute these days then it’s probably par for the course.
I have directed a few people in this direction especially since MyT closed but they haven’t turned into regular contributors.
So, don’t lose heart, Janus.
CT About time you slowed down a bit. All this running round the world doesn’t do you/the body any good at all. The year my boy was diagnosed with bone cancer he had actually visited 23 countries from central Asia to weekends in Zurich! Too bloody much! If you were meant to fly you’d have grown bloody wings! It may not have been causal but I’m quite sure the stress accelerated the whole process.
J I know of no other blogs at all that are not either vacuous nonsense or vicious. It never fails to amaze me how vicious people can get when anonymous, talk about cowardice, most wouldn’t say boo to a goose in real life!
A. Everyday life on an even tenor can be ameliorating to the ‘horrors’ of the world. I for one would welcome some pictures of your garden and the washing line!!
I never did show you my veg garden last year, I shall inflict it upon you in due course! And you can all run screaming!
CO: Necessity dictates that I spend a year in Asia. However, I’ve made it clear that I am not interested in seeing anything that isn’t terribly well developed and civilised so they can lump their planned adventures. I’ve made arrangements to visit an old friend in October in Taiwan and have made it clear that I refuse to be in any Sinophone region over the Chinese New Year. Can’t be arsed to suffer firecrackers or other noisy monstrosities. Hence, a potential holiday in Japan. After that, I’ll return to Europe and settle down. I’ve had it past the nose with moving and long flights.
Good, you need to especially if your health is beginning to suffer. Not worth the candle!
CT, slow down, calm down and drop the peeve!
Arrers, it’s one of life’s sick transits but who is Gloria Mundi?
The Chariot may, from time-to-time, run without occupants, but with me looking after its maintenance, the wheels are never in danger of dropping off. I may not say much, but I’m still a competent chariot engineer. 🙂
Thank you. May you remain well oiled.
Mr Engineer, did Jazz’s Spectator reprint fall orf or were it pushed? 😱
Janus, I am glad that you managed to finish all the clearing up and laundry after the Christmas visitors much more quickly than I did, though my time included a debilitating cold and cough over the New Year weekend (me and HM) How many guests did you have staying with the resulting bed linen and towels to launder? How many people did you feed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day with the table cloths and napkins to wash and iron? How many grandchildren to child-mind? It’s what my niece in Colorado describes as Christmas busy-ness and it’s quite tiring.
I could have written a short blog on our pre-Christmas weekend in Turin but it might have contained too many illegal immigrants huddling round campfires in a shanty town or gazing despondently at the smart cars and clothes and brightly lit shop windows they weren’t going to access. And the two sub-Saharans removed from the coach – the very efficient Flixbus service – at the French border post at La Turbie, where Schengen never ever set foot. Too depressing.
Instead I enjoyed reading the contributions of all those with more energy than me and I thank them all and wish all Charioteers a Happy New Year and good health in 2017. Take care of yourself, Christopher, and long may your paws grease the wheels, Prasutagus.
Thank you, Sheona! And all the best for 2017.
Janus – I made some small edits to remove the advertisements and tidy up the title. Then I added a short and friendly paragraph explaining (again) the WordPress rules and requesting that further posts adhere to those rules. I made it clear that I would not remove his current post or edit it further.
The Honourable Boadicea approved my actions and declared them to be tactful.
A few minutes later Jazz removed the contents and then the entire post – neither action was necessary, but that was his choice. So the answer is that he jumped, ignoring avuncular advice.
That’s his problem. 😦
Regarding Jazz’s complete dismissal of any sort of arts degree, which he has oft repeated on this site and others, I am very much on Janus’ side in this. I certainly don’t regret studying history. I certainly didn’t pursue a career in the subject, but as regards employment, it certainly helped – most of the jobs I did required a degree of some sort.
Whilst I’m firmly in agreement that some degrees offered today are pretty much a waste of time, I don’t think that was the case as Tina has mentioned previously when we were younger.
Jazz, why are you so resolutely dismissive of any academic qualification that you don’t deem useful ? When I was at home bringing up my children I did three years or so of an OU degree in English Literature which I didn’t have time to finish purely because I enjoyed the subject and the discipline.
Oops sorry, I think this is on the wrong thread.
Araminta – you’d’ve been on the correct thread with an Engineering degree . . . 🙂
Er yes, Bearsy, thank you for that – it’s too late, however, to take comfort from that thought. Good to see you though!
Looking on the bright side, Jazz may not notice my comment tucked in here! 😉
I haven’t ‘completely’ dismissed arts degrees but I do think they are of limited value.
However if someone chooses to do an arts degree because they enjoy the subject then that’s absolutely fine with me and particularly in Araminta’s case where she studied in her own time and no doubt at her own expense. The point is does the country need lots if arts graduates and do you think for young people it’s a good route into employment.
A few decades ago when university degrees were munch rarer than now, I have no doubt that any sort of degree would find you a reasonable job. That isn’t true any more.
I have to agree with Jazz on this. What was in ‘our’ day is no longer valid I am afraid and people today with arts degrees litter the ASDAs of this world and the unemployment queues with a millstone of debt around their necks.. Had I a grandchild I would read the riot act should they want to do one. If they don’t want to do science go into accountancy! Ever seen a poor accountant?
We’ll have to disagree about what is useful.
Oh well, I’ll add my pennyworth here. At 18 I was all set to read Maths at Uni – problem was that the only Maths I was any good at was Pure Maths. The practical gumph (Applied Maths & Physics) left me cold – and I failed those ‘A’ Levels in as spectacular style as I passed the Pure Maths exam. Moreover, all I wanted to do was leave home PDQ – and I did.
One marriage and two children later, I returned to tertiary education. By a very circuitous route, I ended up with a degree in history, and a Ph D (Econ). OK! OK! To most people my Ph.D was in history, but quite a few years experience of working with economists tells me that History is a far more down-to-earth and useful discipline than economics,
So what use have my too-many-to-count-years studies been? Not a lot in personal financial terms – the reverse in fact. Nor has it produced major technological advancements that can make or save millions for anyone.
But when I see that my work has been used to take a fresh look at historical events, has thrown a light on linguistic changes, formed one of the major sources for a new study of surnames, along with a number of other projects – I am very well personally rewarded.
Man (or in this case woman) does not live by bread alone – and it would do well for people to remember that a study of ‘yesterday’ helps to plan for ‘tomorrow’.
It’s fine to study whatever you wish as long as you do it with eyes open. Studying for enjoyment and personal fulfilment is absolutely fine.
But as a young person surely the priority must be to equip yourself for work and not to burden yourself with debt and a qualification which won’t help you pay it off.
Of course I realise that this purely practical way of looking at things isn’t shared by every one.
Well, Jazz! What more can I ask?! 😊
If you check the “follow” button you’ll see that there are actually 427 people who follow this site, Janus
James, nice to know. The Chariot would be more diverse if some of you came on board now and then. The odd post, a few more comments perhaps? Otheewise you’ll be following a spectre.
Take your point, has made tbut have been a bit busy of late, not helped by the fact that Talktalk managed to lose my email accounts (together with the program that I use to store all my passwords etc etc).
James, now you are back in action, do drop in with some well-chosen thoughts! 😃