George Orwell died (21-1-1950)

[Ross Clark]

The language link, of course, is the essay "Politics and the English
Language" (1946), still widely read and cited as a cautionary against
politicians' use of euphemism and obfuscatory language to conceal what
they have done, are doing or propose to do. Never more relevant, in the
age of "special military operations"....

Strange fact about Orwell which came to light in a previous discussion:
apparently there is no extant record of his voice. This despite the fact
that he broadcast many talks on the BBC over a period of years. Perhaps
he died too soon after the advent of the tape recorder.

[Aidan Kehoe]

[...] Strange fact about Orwell which came to light in a previous
discussion: apparently there is no extant record of his voice. This despite
the fact that he broadcast many talks on the BBC over a period of years.
Perhaps he died too soon after the advent of the tape recorder.

From his biography (boarding school in Sussex, empire-builder family
background) and from the lack of comment on his accent I imagine he spoke a
normal-for-the-time RP.

“Tuberculosis was diagnosed and the request for permission to import
streptomycin to treat Orwell went as far as Aneurin Bevan, then Minister of
Health. David Astor helped with supply and payment and Orwell began his
course of streptomycin on 19 or 20 February 1948.[142] By the end of July
1948 Orwell was able to return to Jura and by December he had finished the
manuscript of Nineteen Eighty-Four. In January 1949, in a very weak
condition, he set off for a sanatorium at Cranham, Gloucestershire, escorted
by Richard Rees. Unluckily for Orwell, streptomycin could not be continued,
as he developed toxic epidermal necrolysis, a rare side effect of
streptomycin”

“Orwell was a heavy smoker, who rolled his own cigarettes from strong shag
tobacco, despite his bronchial condition. His penchant for the rugged life
often took him to cold and damp situations, both in the long term, as in
Catalonia and Jura, and short term, for example, motorcycling in the rain and
suffering a shipwreck.”

He wasn’t going to have had a long life in any event, even if they had cleared
the TB. That’s a lifestyle of COPD, frequent pneumonias, early death.

Speaking of mid-century Englishmen who smoked too much, one of my favourite
worked examples when speaking to medical students about heart disease is Ian
Fleming, who smoked like a chimney and died of a heart attack (likely a STEMI,
the more immediately life-threatening type) at the age of 53. One of the
medical students reacted, when I asked if they knew who wrote the James Bond
books, “but this isn’t on the curriculum for second med” !

[Aidan Kehoe]

Post by Aidan Kehoe

[...] Strange fact about Orwell which came to light in a previous
discussion: apparently there is no extant record of his voice. This
despite the fact that he broadcast many talks on the BBC over a period of
years. Perhaps he died too soon after the advent of the tape recorder.

From his biography (boarding school in Sussex, empire-builder family
background) and from the lack of comment on his accent I imagine he spoke a
normal-for-the-time RP.

And I’m wrong:

https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/no-g-men-frank-mcnally-on-the-politics-of-english-accents-1.4483443

‘It was the fashion then among Britain's upper classes to sound less posh
than they were, something to which dropping Gs was vital. Not even the
highest echelons of society were immune from the pretence. There was for a
time an English accent known as "Duke of Windsor Cockney". And among the
people accused of having occasional outbreaks of it was a man otherwise
famously devoid of affectation, George Orwell.

Mind you, Orwell’s accent seems to have been considered odd everywhere he
went, including Eton and Oxford. It must have been a product of the
empire-governing classes of which he was briefly a member before resigning to
become a misfit in other walks of life instead.’

[HenHanna]

Post by Aidan Kehoe

Post by Aidan Kehoe

[...] Strange fact about Orwell which came to light in a previous
discussion: apparently there is no extant record of his voice. This
despite the fact that he broadcast many talks on the BBC over a period of
years. Perhaps he died too soon after the advent of the tape recorder.

From his biography (boarding school in Sussex, empire-builder family
background) and from the lack of comment on his accent I imagine he spoke a
normal-for-the-time RP.

https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/no-g-men-frank-mcnally-on-the-politics-of-english-accents-1.4483443
‘It was the fashion then among Britain's upper classes to sound less posh
than they were, something to which dropping Gs was vital. Not even the
highest echelons of society were immune from the pretence. There was for a
time an English accent known as "Duke of Windsor Cockney". And among the
people accused of having occasional outbreaks of it was a man otherwise
famously devoid of affectation, George Orwell.
Mind you, Orwell’s accent seems to have been considered odd everywhere he
went, including Eton and Oxford. It must have been a product of the
empire-governing classes of which he was briefly a member before resigning to
become a misfit in other walks of life instead.’
--
‘As I sat looking up at the Guinness ad, I could never figure out /
How your man stayed up on the surfboard after fourteen pints of stout’
(C. Moore)

-------- what's so funny or clever about this quote???

[Aidan Kehoe]

Post by HenHanna

Post by Aidan Kehoe
‘As I sat looking up at the Guinness ad, I could never figure out /
How your man stayed up on the surfboard after fourteen pints of stout’
(C. Moore)

-------- what's so funny or clever about this quote???

It’s from a song a lot of people have a lot of affection for in this country:

It references this ad:

[LionelEdwards]

Post by Aidan Kehoe

Post by HenHanna

Post by Aidan Kehoe
‘As I sat looking up at the Guinness ad, I could never figure out /
How your man stayed up on the surfboard after fourteen pints of

stout’

Post by HenHanna

Post by Aidan Kehoe
(C. Moore)

-------- what's so funny or clever about this

quote???
http://youtu.be/b82sl_UFDgE

Irish music is loved the world over. This is one of our favourites
in this group, played on a traditional Irish bouzouki:

This is my personal favourite:

[Aidan Kehoe]

[...] Irish music is loved the world over. This is one of our favourites in
http://youtu.be/OALDX4kcjuI

Wow, Paul Brady in his twenties! Great song that I hadn’t seen, thanks for
that.

http://youtu.be/B4v6aNjGFFk

My go-to example in explaining liver disease to people was always George Best;
I suppose I should switch to Shane as the more cautionary tale.

[LionelEdwards]

[...] Irish music is loved the world over. This is one of our

favourites in

http://youtu.be/OALDX4kcjuI

Wow, Paul Brady in his twenties! Great song that I hadn’t seen, thanks for
that.

http://youtu.be/B4v6aNjGFFk

My go-to example in explaining liver disease to people was always George Best;
I suppose I should switch to Shane as the more cautionary tale.

George Best would have been a poor example. At the height of his
alcoholism, he was interviewed by a tabloid journalist, who found
him in in bed in a top London hotel with a Miss England and drinking
champagne for breakfast?

"George, where did it all go wrong?"

Something like that. The Victoria in Surbiton and the Chequers in
Walton on the Hill were his stomping grounds around here, and he
seems to have enjoyed a pretty good life.

[HenHanna]

Post by Aidan Kehoe

[...] Strange fact about Orwell which came to light in a previous
discussion: apparently there is no extant record of his voice. This despite
the fact that he broadcast many talks on the BBC over a period of years.
Perhaps he died too soon after the advent of the tape recorder.

From his biography (boarding school in Sussex, empire-builder family
background) and from the lack of comment on his accent I imagine he spoke a
normal-for-the-time RP.
“Tuberculosis was diagnosed and the request for permission to import
streptomycin to treat Orwell went as far as Aneurin Bevan, then Minister of
Health. David Astor helped with supply and payment and Orwell began his
course of streptomycin on 19 or 20 February 1948.[142] By the end of July
1948 Orwell was able to return to Jura and by December he had finished the
manuscript of Nineteen Eighty-Four. In January 1949, in a very weak
condition, he set off for a sanatorium at Cranham, Gloucestershire, escorted
by Richard Rees. Unluckily for Orwell, streptomycin could not be continued,
as he developed toxic epidermal necrolysis, a rare side effect of
streptomycin”
“Orwell was a heavy smoker, who rolled his own cigarettes from strong shag
tobacco, despite his bronchial condition. His penchant for the rugged life
often took him to cold and damp situations, both in the long term, as in
Catalonia and Jura, and short term, for example, motorcycling in the rain and
suffering a shipwreck.”
He wasn’t going to have had a long life in any event, even if they had cleared
the TB. That’s a lifestyle of COPD, frequent pneumonias, early death.
Speaking of mid-century Englishmen who smoked too much, one of my favourite
worked examples when speaking to medical students about heart disease is Ian
Fleming, who smoked like a chimney and died of a heart attack (likely a STEMI,
the more immediately life-threatening type) at the age of 53. One of the
medical students reacted, when I asked if they knew who wrote the James Bond
books, “but this isn’t on the curriculum for second med” !

my #1 fav essay by Orwell is... [Why i write]
#2 is [Shooting an elephant]


iirc... Maxwell died at 48.

[LionelEdwards]

Post by HenHanna

Post by Ross Clark

[...] Strange fact about Orwell which came to light in a previous
discussion: apparently there is no extant record of his voice. This

despite

the fact that he broadcast many talks on the BBC over a period of

years.

Perhaps he died too soon after the advent of the tape recorder.

From his biography (boarding school in Sussex, empire-builder family
background) and from the lack of comment on his accent I imagine he spoke a
normal-for-the-time RP.
“Tuberculosis was diagnosed and the request for permission to import
streptomycin to treat Orwell went as far as Aneurin Bevan, then Minister of
Health. David Astor helped with supply and payment and Orwell began his
course of streptomycin on 19 or 20 February 1948.[142] By the end of July
1948 Orwell was able to return to Jura and by December he had finished the
manuscript of Nineteen Eighty-Four. In January 1949, in a very weak
condition, he set off for a sanatorium at Cranham, Gloucestershire, escorted
by Richard Rees. Unluckily for Orwell, streptomycin could not be continued,
as he developed toxic epidermal necrolysis, a rare side effect of
streptomycin”
“Orwell was a heavy smoker, who rolled his own cigarettes from strong shag
tobacco, despite his bronchial condition. His penchant for the rugged life
often took him to cold and damp situations, both in the long term, as in
Catalonia and Jura, and short term, for example, motorcycling in the rain and
suffering a shipwreck.”
He wasn’t going to have had a long life in any event, even if they had cleared
the TB. That’s a lifestyle of COPD, frequent pneumonias, early death.
Speaking of mid-century Englishmen who smoked too much, one of my favourite
worked examples when speaking to medical students about heart disease is Ian
Fleming, who smoked like a chimney and died of a heart attack (likely a STEMI,
the more immediately life-threatening type) at the age of 53. One of the
medical students reacted, when I asked if they knew who wrote the James Bond
books, “but this isn’t on the curriculum for second med” !

my #1 fav essay by Orwell is... [Why i write]
#2 is [Shooting an elephant]
iirc... Maxwell died at 48.

"Down and Out in Paris and London" will put you off expensive
restaurants forever - which I suppose is no bad thing.

[HenHanna]

Post by LionelEdwards

Post by HenHanna
my #1 fav essay by Orwell is... [Why i write]
#2 is [Shooting an elephant]
iirc... Maxwell died at 48.

"Down and Out in Paris and London" will put you off expensive
restaurants forever - which I suppose is no bad thing.

Why "Down and Out in Paris and London" Might Put You Off Expensive
Restaurants


George Orwell's [Down and Out in Paris and London] offers a stark,
unflinching portrayal of poverty and the world of low-wage labor,
particularly within the restaurant industry.

This raw and honest account can significantly alter one's perspective on
the often-glamorized world of fine dining.

Here's why:

Behind-the-scenes exposure: Orwell's firsthand experience working in
the kitchens of Parisian restaurants reveals the grueling, often
inhumane conditions faced by those who prepare our meals. The stark
contrast between the opulent dining rooms and the chaotic, underpaid
kitchens can be jarring.


Questioning the value of extravagance: The book challenges the
notion of excessive spending on food. By highlighting the disparity
between the luxurious lifestyles of diners and the poverty of those who
serve them, it prompts readers to reconsider the ethics of exorbitant
prices.


Appreciation for simple food: Orwell's experiences of hunger and
deprivation lead to a newfound appreciation for basic, nourishing food.
This can shift one's focus from the pretense of fine dining to the
genuine pleasure of simple, well-prepared meals.


Ultimately, [Down and Out in Paris and London] humanizes the
often-overlooked individuals who toil in the food industry.

By understanding the sacrifices made to create a lavish dining
experience, readers may find it difficult to justify the exorbitant
costs associated with high-end restaurants.

[HenHanna]

Post by Ross Clark
The language link, of course, is the essay "Politics and the English
Language" (1946), still widely read and cited as a cautionary against
politicians' use of euphemism and obfuscatory language to conceal what
they have done, are doing or propose to do. Never more relevant, in the
age of "special military operations"....
apparently there is no extant record of his voice. This despite the fact
that he broadcast many talks on the BBC over a period of years. Perhaps
he died too soon after the advent of the tape recorder.

my #1 fav essay by Orwell is... [Why i write]