'Portrait of T E Lawrence'

[Henry Scott Tuke]

Actually Rory Stewart's mini hagiography of Lawrence, of which I saw the second part this evening, was quite engaging and he himself comes across as an impressive figure. On the other hand, there was more than a whiff of not just self-justification from Stewart, given his own small part in Britain's most recent balls-up in Iraq, and even a spot of exorcising of personal demons.

Controversial? Moi?



Genevieve Morton

 

[Sports Illustrated]

Cheeky Boy

Big boys and little boys together are always a joy.

The bigger boy revels in his superiority, and yet at the same time here he is allowed, however briefly or vicariously, to enjoy the freedom and irresponsibility of what it was to be a little kid again. And the little boy in his turn looks forward excitedly to when he will be tall and strong and clever, and yet at the same time is himself revelling in this brief opportunity to be cheeky to the older boy and get one over on him.

A brief moment, captured on camera, that will nonetheless probably last no longer than when the camera is lowered again! The two boys will go back to their respective worlds, and a moment of sweetness and boyishness will have passed away.

Meanwhile, in the States...

Modern America is little more than a degraded and degenerate shadow of its former self, and now even the old elites such as the military and the Ivy League universities are starting to show it. But West Point presumably does still have some excellent young men who are proud to serve their country at each other's sides.