The other day I experienced my first attact of sciatica - a memorable experience indeed - I make no claims to heroism, and have always thought that the fair sex are much better equipped in every respect to undergo "labour pains", BUT the type of pain that allows for no relief, there being literally as well as metaphorically no place to put oneself and even staying still is agonising, this is hell on earth. Happily the good folk and of the QAS at St Andrews Hospital provided the necessary morphine and now I can sit up once again - a blessed relief indeed !

Ever since then I have found carrying a stick helps me maintain the upright position though my wife hates it ! My question to those better qualified than myself, is precisely what does one reply when a series of well meaning folk at airlines and the like persist on asking me how "are you going", wish me "a nice day" and when handing me a cup of tea mutter "enjoy".

The temptation to meet such comments which that which might well be interpreted as being somewhat "to the point" is overwhelming and unfair - for clearly they are reading from the script, and may, or may not be as interested in my welfare as the check out lady at Coles ?

Could some clever person explain to me how reducing the length of any apprenticeship ultimately improves the quality of the craftswomen/man that follows on ?

By the way, probably the best way of describing childhood is as an emotional apprenticeship; children are now asked to make choices for which they are in no way equipped - but some of their parents aren't either. Children are frequently now bringing up children, and this has to be true especially when presented with any decision that is clearly being based on the parents needing their children's approval ?

Could some of the clever people explain to me how reducing the length of any apprenticeship can improve the quality of craftsmen and crafts women ?

By the way, I have often believed that the commonest apprenticeship is called childhood.

It's perhaps a good thing that most politicians don't know much about history. When Gibbon wrote about the fall of another Empire, the Roman one, he suggested that a prominent pro dromal symptom was to be found within any society that undervalued its teachers and overvalued it's lawyers.
Now, come to think of it, most politicians are lawyers aren't they ?