The Chancer of the Exchequer
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The story about Rachel Reeves and her curriculum vitae is one of those
stories that can be so debilitating for a politician and the government
when things ...
Burn Baby Burn
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“It was the 80s & hot sticks and the “Burning Bush” hairstyle was the
latest craze and my beautiful sister was rockin’ it.”
The post Burn Baby Burn appea...
Moving to the Hugo Static Site Generator
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I finally got round to updating from my old 2006-era DIY static site
generator Meek to hugo, which is much more flexible and has far nicer
support for im...
Putting the fun in funeral
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Welcome to Radiac's Guide to Death!
My father died a few months ago, and as the last member of the family it's
been my responsibility to organise his fun...
Epic DIY Chainsaw Fails Video Compilation
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It’s funny that you need a license to fish, hunt, own a gun, drive a car,
and work as a manicurist a nail salon, but there’s no such requirement for
owni...
A clattering of Jackdaws.
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When we bought this house, we noticed that there appeared to be a pair of
Jackdaws living in the chimney. We had to block off the chimney, so felt
rather b...
i knit, therefore i am
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The past few days have been pretty busy, so I haven’t had the time to sew.
(I live in a very small flat, so getting my sewing machine & ironing board
out ...
Canon Andrew White deserves a knighthood
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He doesn't care about temporal honours, of course. You only have to hear
the 'Vicar of Baghdad' preach, or take a few minutes to watch the above
short fi...
A Simple Noahide
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This is something I learnt during my die-trying seeking for conversion to
Judaism. There is a beauty in Judaism that it does not require you to be
Jewish...
The Lake District national park authority has two 'Fell top assessors' who ascend Helvellyn daily during the winter months of December to March. Their job is to check the weather conditions at the summit and write a report containing information such as temperature, windchill, windspeed, snowdepth, and any dangers such as unstable snow/avalanche hazard and icy footpaths.
This report is put on the Weatherline, which is a Met Office mountain weather forecast and is available on the internet, by telephone and at local shops and tourist information centres[6]. This information is important for people that go out winter hillwalking and climbing as it can help them plan their routes and to get an idea of the mountain conditions.
For those who caught my recent post on how bailiffs are going to be given the legal authority to forcibly enter the homes of debtors and use physical restraint against them, there's a further article on the subject by Henry Porter on the Guardian website today.
It is clear that householders are going to be offered violence in their own homes owing to this law, but the trouble is that no one has been able to discover under what circumstances bailiffs will be able to push people aside while seizing a TV or computer or the wedding picture in a silver frame.
Yeah, I know it's a lame subject line, but I am a singularly unimaginative individual, as you will all no doubt agree.
Reading through the Guardian's G2 section this lunchtime, I happened across Lucy Mangan's 'Last night's TV' column, in which she went on a lot about her irrational hatred of Grand Designs. As I read though, it became apparent that we saw different episodes of the show.
So what happened? Turns out that Kevin McCloud had a skiing accident and was unable to complete the voiceover for the episode that was supposed to have been shown and which Channel 4 released to TV critics. It does rather beg the question though, why are Channel 4 sending out incomplete episodes? Why complete the second episode before the first, particularly when all that was missing was the voiceover?
Our self-serving MPs are at it again. Harriet Harman is to put forward a parliamentary order which will exempt MPs from having to publish their expenses. Getting MPs to publish details of what they spend our money on was a long-fought battle and now Harman wants to get rid of the obligation with barely a whimper of protest. Notice that the news was snuck out the same day that the goverment gave the go ahead to the third runway at Heathrow
MPs won't protest as most have always resented having to provide the information because it often embarasses them. In fact saving personal embarassment is the only reason they want this is because the truth is that most MPs' expenses contain nothing of note. Sure, there's the occasional headline-grabbing expenditure on pot plants or whatever, but look deeper and in almost all instances, there are actually justifiable reasons for the expenses.
The worst thing about this move is that it removes MPs from the same obligations that they have imposed on all other public bodies, as if they are somehow special. The impression that it's one law for MPs and one law for everyone else will do nothing to restore trust in the political process.
The Wrestler Starring: Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood, Mark Margolis Director: Darren Aronofksy A retired wrestler, off the pro-circuit, ries to get back into the big time for one final showdown with his biggest rival. Mickey Rourke won the Golden Globe for this and with the film ranked 55 in the IMDb 250, it's a must see. With Pi, Requiem For A Dream and The Fountain already under his belt, Aronofksy is proving himself to be one hell of a director. Heading for the mainstream next year with a reboot of Robocop. IMDb rating: 8.7 My prediction: 4/5
Clubbed Starring: Mel Raido, Shaun Parkes, Scott Williams, Maxine Peake, Ronnie Fox, Colin Salmon Director: Neil Thompson A factory worker down on his luck and lacking confidence gets a new lease of life when he starts working as a nightclub doorman, but gets involved with a gangland, leading to severe consequences. Sofar, so Lock, Stock but the early reviews suggest this is a cut above its geezerish predecessors and the trailer is terrific. Feature debut for its director. IMDb rating: 8.4 (small sample) My prediction: 4/5
Seven Pounds Starring: Will Smith, Rosario Dawson, Woody Harrelson, Barry Pepper Director: Ganriele Muccino An IRS agent with a secret embarks on a journey to change the lives of seven strangers. Different to the first trailer I saw in that it concentrates on the relationship between Smith and Dawson. This is probably because the first trailer didn't really give much of a clue as to what the film was about, though that actually made it all the more compelling. Even so, I'm still intrigued. IMDb rating: 7.6 My prediction: 4/5
A Christmas Tale Starring: Catherine Deneuve, Jean-Paul Roussillon, Anne Consigny, Mathieu Amalric, Melvil Puopaud Director: Arnaud Desplechin A dysfunctional family are reunited for christmas. Ah yes, 16th January, the perfect date to release a christmas film! Actually, the trailer looks OK, something of a feelgood comedy-drama. IMDb rating: 7.5 My prediction: 3/5
Boogie Starring: Dragos Bucur, Anamaria Marinca Director: Radu Muntean Following a chance encounter with an old friend, a Romanian man disillusioned with life takes a night to relive the experiences of his youth. OK looking comedy that, if anything, even Romania has seaside resorts that kind of resemble Skegness. The trailer isn't that funny, but the IMDb rating is good. IMDb rating: 7.9 My prediction: 3/5
Hansel & Gretel Starring: Jyeong-myeong Cheon, Sim Eun-kyung Director: Pil-Sung Yim South Korean take on the fairytale, with added horror. From the trailer, this looks like quite a slick, high budget offering with something of the Pushing Daisies and Pan's Labyrinth about it. IMDb rating: 6.7 My prediction: 3/5
My Bloody Valentine 3-D Starring: Jensen Ackles, Jaime King Director: Patrick Lussier 10 years after 22 people are killed in a massacre, a guy returns to the small town where it happened only to find himself suspected when the killings start up again. Doesn't appear to offer anything new to the horror genre and I don't give a damn about 3-D. Director worked as editor on the Scream films, but his directorial effortsm including White Noise 2, have been somewhat wanting. Remake of a 1981 film. IMDb rating: n/a My prediction: 2/5
Chandni Chowk To China Starring: Akshay Kumar, Deepika Padukone Director: Nikhil Advani An Indian cook is mistaken for the reincarnation of an ancient chinese warrior by the residents of an oppressed village. Looks to be a Bollywood kung-fu movie, of all things. Also looks to be quite stupid, yet not without entertainnment value. Curiously, it's being distributed by Warner Bros, so they must see some crossover value in it. IMDb rating: n/a My prediction: 2/5
Beverly Hills Chihuahua Starring: Piper Perabo, Jamie Lee Curtis Voiced by: Drew Barrymore, Andy Garcia, Cheech Marin, Edward James Olmos, Luis Guzman A chihuahua from Beverly Hills gets lost in Mexico and tries to make her way home. The trailer is so fucking awful it made me laugh. However, the tragic truth is that this film grossed $115 million at the US box office. IMDb rating: 2.4 My prediction: 2/5
Mark writes: "Last week my wife had the pleasure of meeting John Cleese who had popped into her workplace (a solarium in Sydney) to top up his tan. Being a bit of a fan, I asked her when he came out if she could get his autograph. Obliging, he wrote
"'Dear Mark. You have a very beautiful wife, much more so than the one I am currently divorcing. John Cleese'."
The Times is reporting that goverment is proposing that bailiffs be given the power to force their way into homes to remove items and physically restrain residents who get in the way. Interestingly, the paper has also uncovered that Court Service guidelines have given bailiffs authority to break down doors since 2004 if they suspect the people inside to be hiding from them. The new law would allow bailiffs to break in even if nobody is home.
The idea that an Englishman's home is his castle is a centuries-old principle. It draws a line between the private and the public, the authority of state power and the liberty of the individual. It embodies the concept that a man may defend himself and his property from invaders, be they civil or state. Now the government proposes that individuals acting on a private matter be given the power to forcibly enter the homes of private individuals and forcibly restrain them to collect upon civil debts.
If we must lose this particular liberty then the authority to enter a home should be specifically granted by a judge on the grounds that he believes an individual is withholding items that could be forfeited in payment of the debt. If bailiffs anticipate that force will be needed to enter a property and restrain its occupants then the police MUST be present, otherwise there will inevitibly be violent confrontations between individuals and debt collection agents, many of whom are, being generous, of dubious character.
Slumdog Millionaire Starring: Dev Patel, Anil Kapoor, Freida Pinto Director: Danny Boyle Story of an impoverished Indian teenager who wins Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, only to be suspected of cheating. The concept didn't appeal to me all that much, though the director is always worth watching, but the sheer volume of praise the film has received renders it a must-see. Nice touch having Sigur Ros on the trailer soundtrack. One thing that stands out about Danny Boyle is the terrific use of music in his films. IMDb rating: 8.7 My prediction: 4/5
Role Models Starring: Seann William Scott, Paul Rudd, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Elizabeth Banks, Jane Lynch Director: David Wain Two reps for an energy drink company get into trouble and are sentenced to 150 hours mentoring kids. Trailer looks great and actually made me laugh more than once. Love the line about Ben Affleck. Definitely one to watch. IMDb rating: 7.9 My prediction: 4/5
Defiance Starring: Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber, Jamie Bell, Iben Hjele Director: Edward Zwick True story of three Jewish brothers who who escaped Nazi-occupied Poland and, with the help of the Russian resistance, built a village in the woods of Belarus to protect others fleeing from persecution. Was a bit cool on this first time around as the trailer didn't look very compelling, but the more I've read about the events, the more interested I've become. Nice tos see Iben Hjele among the cast, who has had a low profile since starring opposite John Cusack in High Fidelity, back in 2000. IMDb rating: 7.7 My prediction: 4/5
Sex Drive Starring: Josh Zuckerman, Amanda Crew, Clark Duke, James Marsden, Seth Green Director: Sean Anders A high school senior takes a road trip across the US to hook up with a girl he meets online. Second genuinely funny looking movie of the week. Trailer had me laughing out loud by the end. IMDb rating: 7.0 My prediction: 4/5
Bride Wars Starring: Kate Hudson, Anne Hathaway, Candice Bergen Director: Gary Winick Two best friends become enemies when they schedule their weddings on the same day. Looks like an instantly forgettable comedy, but the trailer has its amusing moments and you can't go too wrong with an Anne Hathaway film. IMDb rating: n/a My prediction: 3/5
Stuck Starring: Mena Suvari, Stephen Rea Director: Stuart Gordon A young woman commits a hit-and-run, only to find to find the victim stuck, critically injured, in her windshield. Rather than seek help, she locks the car in her garage. Not sure about this films' genre. IMDb has it as a horror and thriller, but the trailer plays like black comedy. Not something I think I'll rush to see, but I;; give it a go on Sky. IMDb rating: 6.9 My prediction: 3/5
Hannah Takes The Stairs Starring: Greta Gerwig, Kent Osborne, Andrew Bujalski, Mark Duplass Director: Joe Swanberg Following the life and loves of a young woman over a post-graduation summer. Low budget indie flick, mostly improvised. And it shows. IMDb rating: 5.6 My prediction: 2/5
Last month, I posted an article about internet censorship in the UK, following on from an interview in the Telegraph with Culture Secretary Andy Burnham in which he said he was seeking to work with the US set common internet standards with the incoming Obama administration, which may include such things as cinema-style ratings for websites and child-safe services from ISPs.
The Guardian has an ineresting editorial on the subject today, dismissing the idea on the cinema-style ratings and arguing out that ISP-based content filtering would be unworkable. Instead, the paper advocates a common sense approach based on parental responsibility...
There are ways that parents can protect children without impeding on the liberty of others, such as restricting access to one computer in the living room or using services such as OpenDNS.com providing filters covering dozens of unseemly subjects for nothing. The problem is that many parents are not motivated or feel it is beyond them. The government should save the money that might be lavished on an ineffectual Big Brother solution and spend it instead on a concerted campaign to make parents aware of what they can do for themselves.
Heads up, Doctor Who fans. The BBC has just announced that the identity of the new Doctor will be revealed tomorrow at 5.35pm on BBC One, presumably during the episode of Doctor Who Confidential on at that time.
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