Diary
Dianna Rigg on the joys of being out of work and why she is a fatist
Years ago my divorce liberated me from many things, not least of which was a wife’s burden of organising the traditional family Christmas. Inevitably, come Boxing Day, I was whey-faced with fatigue and singularly lacking in ‘ho-ho-ho’. Subsequent Christmases have been spent in far-flung places and this year I have just returned from visiting Tamil Nadu and its myriad temples. Getting to grips with Indian gods is not easy. There are over 3,000 of them. But on this visit I came across a particularly fascinating one — Ardhanareshwara. It seems the god Siva in one of his earliest incarnations declared man and woman were equal, so Ardhanareshwara was given the human form of half man, half woman. Grotesque as it may sound, the figure is really very beautiful. Siva the perfect male form on the left, Parvati his wife, gloriously sensual on the right. This tentative attempt at equality was, however, swept aside by the Mughals when they invaded India and their legacy is all too sadly evident in the plight of women working in the villages, fields and roadsides today. I brought a small bronze of Ardhanareshwara home with me, not because I’m much of a feminist but simply because it represents the perfect union.
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Nev Parker
January 12th, 2008 10:13pmNot long after becoming my own 'Boss', many years ago and then starting to employ people, hence I became very interested in their work rituals, I gradually formed the conclusion that fat people were slower workers and passed them up in favour of more average bodies. Well before Public opinion agreed with me I also found that smokers also were time wasters, with the anti-discrimination laws in Australia I had to keep these conclusions to myself. Later on I found that, generally speaking, young people who came from regular 'Mum and Dad' still married parents were mostly better adjusted individuals and had a few abstract interview questions to try and determine this aspect. So if you were fat, smoked and had a strange parentage you didn't get to work for me. I probably missed out on some good people but my formula meant that the ones I chose were all solid, honest well adjusted workers
Scratch Schillinger, Germany
January 16th, 2008 11:11pm@dian(n)a: So why are you a fatist? I certainly wont buy the magazine to be insulted. @Nev Parker: you could say the same about women, or Mexicans, or some other group. Generalization is never correct. I for one, think that in Australia only live convicts.
David Tobor
February 13th, 2008 5:18amHmmm. Leaving no stone unturned, I must ask what the difference is between "an article" on a web to one that is placed in a magazine or book? If it isn't news then aren't you giving some insight of yourself?