Serious Name Droppin'

Think of these seismic name changes: Cassius Clay becoming Mohammed Ali; Cat Stevens becoming Yusuf Islam; the artist formerly known as The Artist Formerly Known as Prince (or, more correctly, Love Symbol #2!) becoming Prince again.  Peking becoming Beijing, Bombay becoming Mumbai. Mars becoming Snickers. Ballymun Avenue becoming Glasnevin Avenue. Many more besides!

People and places change their names or have their names changed for them for all sorts of rhymes and all sorts of reasons. Some, for example, simply might not like the sound of their existing names - Elton for one didn't like Reggie Dwight and Michael J. Fox just couldn't handle being bland ole Michael A. Fox! Others may feel that a different name better reflects their status in life - as Archie Leach did when he became Cary Grant or as Del Boy Trotter did when he became Derek Duval! Others still think a nattier name raises their profile a notch or two on the ole cool-ometer - why else would Mick Barratt have become Shaky or Bernard Jewry, Alvin Stardust!.

Yes, names change because times change, circumstances change, reasons change and people change. And in the case of this here blog we're not immune. In the past weeks and months the scope and direction of what's been written on these pages has changed a good bit - enough for the name The Dualist to no longer really reflect or complement the content. While I set out originally to write a blog to promote the book I wrote this summer, it's no longer just about that and, as such, I don't feel comfortable writing under a misleading moniker or using a scope that's so narrow.

So from today The Dualist blog will change its name to better reflect the source and nature of its content and will now become simply The Bag's Blog - and it's aim will be to be just that, a bag of blog covering a multitude of sins! That said it will be a bit messy and time-consuming to create a brand new template from scratch to cater for the new name so the address won't change immediately but will come in time - i.e. when I get round to setting it up. Meanwhile folks, many thanks again for taking the time to stop by and have a browse - the exercise would be pointless without your support and encouragement.

More soon ...

Coo ca choo it's ... Barney Jewry!

Added - 23rd October 2014. News in that Alvin passed away today after a short illness. RIP kind sir.