Thursday, July 28, 2016
Wednesday, July 27, 2016
Reasonable advice from a playwright I don't care for
David Williamson's advice to playwrights - write like a TV writer | Daily Review: Film, stage and music reviews, interviews and more.
I don't know that I have ever seen anything by David Williamson that I've really liked. Yet, oddly enough, his comments in the talk at the link about the issues he sees confronting Australian theatre seem all pretty sensible to me.
The vague appeal to me of trying to write a play is that there are not that many words involved, compared to writing a novel, or movie script. The difficulty of my doing so is that I freeze up with the thought that I don't really know how people talk when I'm not there. (Actually, that stops novel writing stone cold, too.) Does that make sense?
I don't know that I have ever seen anything by David Williamson that I've really liked. Yet, oddly enough, his comments in the talk at the link about the issues he sees confronting Australian theatre seem all pretty sensible to me.
The vague appeal to me of trying to write a play is that there are not that many words involved, compared to writing a novel, or movie script. The difficulty of my doing so is that I freeze up with the thought that I don't really know how people talk when I'm not there. (Actually, that stops novel writing stone cold, too.) Does that make sense?
More on stupid Julian
At WAPO, an article about Assange's deliberately timed attack on Clinton includes this part:
The second was to do with her being a "liberal war hawk": in this respect, Assange would prefer to have someone who is "completely unpredictable", and who contradictorily promotes himself as a new strongman who will "smash" ISIS (in contrast to the "weak" Obama), while at the same time suggesting that the US should stay out of the Middle East (and, by the way, hints that some NATO countries may not get protection they were expecting, either.)
Assange is a twit.
In the interview, Mr. Assange told a British television host, Robert Peston of the ITV network, that his organization had obtained “emails related to Hillary Clinton which are pending publication,” which he pronounced “great.” He also suggested that he not only opposed her candidacy on policy grounds, but also saw her as a personal foe.
At one point, Mr. Peston said: “Plainly, what you are saying, what you are publishing, hurts Hillary Clinton. Would you prefer Trump to be president?”
The first was to do with "freedom of the press" (because she wants Assange indicted): yes I can just imagine Donald Trump being much more conciliatory towards those who partake in security leaks.Mr. Assange replied that what Mr. Trump would do as president was “completely unpredictable.” By contrast, he thought it was predictable that Mrs. Clinton would wield power in two ways he found problematic.
The second was to do with her being a "liberal war hawk": in this respect, Assange would prefer to have someone who is "completely unpredictable", and who contradictorily promotes himself as a new strongman who will "smash" ISIS (in contrast to the "weak" Obama), while at the same time suggesting that the US should stay out of the Middle East (and, by the way, hints that some NATO countries may not get protection they were expecting, either.)
Assange is a twit.
In Trump We Trust 2
Trump Time Capsule #57: Russia, and Taxes - The Atlantic
James Fallows argues that the media has been way, way too soft on the matter of Trump refusing to release his tax returns, especially in light of suspicion that Russians were involved in the Wikileaks hack. (Assuming it was a hack, I suppose - I had first assumed it was probably a leak by Sander's sympathisers. But no, it does seem to have been an outside hack into the system.)
James Fallows argues that the media has been way, way too soft on the matter of Trump refusing to release his tax returns, especially in light of suspicion that Russians were involved in the Wikileaks hack. (Assuming it was a hack, I suppose - I had first assumed it was probably a leak by Sander's sympathisers. But no, it does seem to have been an outside hack into the system.)
Product placement
Amidst the general news of death and mayhem in the world, let's pause to appreciate something relatively simple.
[I have a strong sensation of acting like one of those TV ads that purport to give information about a product when it's actually just an ad (what is that series in Australia with the terrible intro music? - can't remember) but here goes.]
My family and I are very impressed with the Zoosh range of salad dressings, and in particular, their aioli:
We're also enjoying the South East Asian salad dressing at the moment
Trust me, they're distinctively good.
Owners of Zoosh company - please send me money!
[I have a strong sensation of acting like one of those TV ads that purport to give information about a product when it's actually just an ad (what is that series in Australia with the terrible intro music? - can't remember) but here goes.]
My family and I are very impressed with the Zoosh range of salad dressings, and in particular, their aioli:
Owners of Zoosh company - please send me money!
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
Mind control
Why did Iran destroy 100,000 satellite dishes? - CSMonitor.com
Some surprising information here about the Iranian government's determination to control television content.
Some surprising information here about the Iranian government's determination to control television content.
Transplant gamble
‘I Can Do Absolutely Nothing.’ The First American With a Double Hand Transplant Wants Them Removed | TIME
Whether a hand transplant will give you a usable hand seems a very big gamble:
Whether a hand transplant will give you a usable hand seems a very big gamble:
The surgeon who led the transplant in 2009, Dr. W.P. Andrew Lee, is currently at Johns Hopkins where he’s preparing to perform penis transplants for American veterans. Lee says the need for removal is uncommon and has occurred in six out of 100 similar transplants in the U.S. and Europe.I suspect medical science is better off pursuing robot hands.
“Mr. Kepner’s transplanted hands do not function as well as those of other hand transplant recipients,” said Lee in an email to TIME. “Our team has performed bilateral hand/arm
transplants in four patients to date, including Mr. Kepner. The other three patients have had significant functional return in their hands and have been able to resume completely independent living, including driving, working, and going to school.”
“Complex surgery such as hand transplant do not produce uniform results in everyone,” Lee adds, “but we have been encouraged by the functional return in the great majority
of our recipients whose lives have been transformed by the procedure.”
Putting a face to the voice
'Ghost' Soprano Marni Nixon, Who Voiced Blockbuster Musicals, Dies At 86 : The Two-Way : NPR
I've probably seen her face before, but I don't recall it.
Well, actually, I definitely had, just that I didn't know it:
I've probably seen her face before, but I don't recall it.
Well, actually, I definitely had, just that I didn't know it:
After My Fair Lady was released in 1964, Nixon appeared onscreen in only one movie — The Sound of Music — as Sister Sophia, one of the nuns who sing "How Do You Solve a
Problem like Maria?" The film's star — Julie Andrews — didn't need any help in the singing department.
Yet more "Don't Panic" from yours truly
Trump versus Clinton polls: why the next 2 weeks of them will be basically meaningless - Vox
Interesting, though, that Julian Assange is on a revenge mission over Clinton.
Does he really expect that he, America, and the world, would do better under Trump? Prone to fantasy, that boy.
Interesting, though, that Julian Assange is on a revenge mission over Clinton.
Does he really expect that he, America, and the world, would do better under Trump? Prone to fantasy, that boy.
Monday, July 25, 2016
Trump update
I am rather surprised that some on the Left are running around like headless chickens worrying that Trump's acceptance speech was evil but effective. I'm not the first to notice, but the giant, angry, head of Trump put me more in mind of this, rather than anything else:
and the dark tone is surely recognized by a very large slab of Americans as an exaggeration, and a cynical one at that.
The Democrat email leaks don't even have me particularly worried - internal party politics can be very dirty, so why should anyone be surprised? And Clinton has chosen a respected Democrat politician who speaks Spanish, and is Catholic but respects Roe v Wade - ticking quite a few boxes there for voter turnout. (Speaking of Catholics - surely there are few Catholic bishops in the States comfortable with the idea of a Trump Presidency?)
I remain entirely confident that Trump will not become President.
and the dark tone is surely recognized by a very large slab of Americans as an exaggeration, and a cynical one at that.
The Democrat email leaks don't even have me particularly worried - internal party politics can be very dirty, so why should anyone be surprised? And Clinton has chosen a respected Democrat politician who speaks Spanish, and is Catholic but respects Roe v Wade - ticking quite a few boxes there for voter turnout. (Speaking of Catholics - surely there are few Catholic bishops in the States comfortable with the idea of a Trump Presidency?)
I remain entirely confident that Trump will not become President.
Shell shock via rabbit
Rabbit Death at Manassas - Beachcombing's Bizarre History Blog
A mostly amusing story involving a rabbit, which despite the title, does not die.
A mostly amusing story involving a rabbit, which despite the title, does not die.
How toys evolve
The History of Dollhouses - The Atlantic:
In the beginning, dollhouses had only two purposes: display and pedagogy. First built in the 17th century in northern Europe, primarily in Germany, Holland, and England, dollhouses were designed for adults. They were closely associated with wealth and served as markers of social class and status. As Faith Eaton explains in The Ultimate Dolls House Book, the German word dockenhaus meant not dollhouse but “miniature house.” And a miniature house was not a house to play with. In Holland, these exhibits of wealth were called “cabinet houses.” The front of the house opens like a china cabinet on hinges that can be closed and locked. Inside cabinet houses, people could both show off and conceal their collections of expensive miniature objects.
Beginning in the 17th century, “Nuremberg kitchens” might contain a hearth, cooking pots, a straw broom. These all-metal houses were designed without ornament, for purely utilitarian purposes. Used as teaching tools for girls, Nuremberg kitchens allowed mothers to show daughters how to set up and control a house. All about learning rules, a Nuremberg kitchen was the opposite of a dollhouse as a dream world of fantasy. It was a place where girls learned to manage not only the objects of the house but also its servants, where girls would learn to become the lady of the house.
By 18th-century England, the “Baby House” emerged. The Baby House was an exact copy of the owner’s home, a replica designed to showcase the owner’s wealth—a small, “baby” version of a real-life house. Unlike the Dutch Cabinet House, which might have miniature furniture but tended to be full of expensive or rare objects, the Baby House was full of
furniture in tiny versions of the owner’s rooms.
Changing definitions of childhood in the beginning of the 19th century shifted ideas about play. But it took the industrial revolution and the increase in mass-produced objects to make dollhouses and miniatures begin to be construed as toys. And it took until after World War II, when the U.S. stopped importing goods from Europe, for dollhouses to become mass-produced and affordable. Miniatures began to take on a second, different life.
More on Bolt
He's muttering about (I presume) defamation against Fairfax for Elizabeth Farrelly's recent column comparing him to Enoch Powell, and he's recently complained about The Australian's Paul Kelly and Chip Le Grand's concern about him, over the same issue.
Today he's defending Pauline Hanson against Chris Mitchell (!).
Gee, at some point, maybe Bolt will realise the problem is his complete alignment with the dog whistle (is that the right term when it's actually direct shouting and fearmongering?) politics of Hanson?
And further: what is this complete entanglement with the IPA for the hyping of his book (containing just old columns) all about? I presume his son still works there, and I presume Roskam and Sinclair Davidson still consider him a "mate", but is that enough to tie the IPA so closely into promoting someone who has gone so Hanson right wing on immigration? Isn't Davidson embarrassed by his blog entries? Why does he say nothing? Why is Bolt himself seemingly so desperate to promote the book?
I find this all rather weird.
Today he's defending Pauline Hanson against Chris Mitchell (!).
Gee, at some point, maybe Bolt will realise the problem is his complete alignment with the dog whistle (is that the right term when it's actually direct shouting and fearmongering?) politics of Hanson?
And further: what is this complete entanglement with the IPA for the hyping of his book (containing just old columns) all about? I presume his son still works there, and I presume Roskam and Sinclair Davidson still consider him a "mate", but is that enough to tie the IPA so closely into promoting someone who has gone so Hanson right wing on immigration? Isn't Davidson embarrassed by his blog entries? Why does he say nothing? Why is Bolt himself seemingly so desperate to promote the book?
I find this all rather weird.
High temperatures noted
Heat and rainfall making headlines around the world | Official blog of the Met Office news team:
Across parts of Iraq, western Iran, Kuwait and northern Saudi Arabia, extremely high temperatures have been recorded over recent days. On Thursday Basrah Airport, Iraq reached 53.4C, while Mitribah in northern Kuwait recorded 54.0C. Both of these temperatures, subject to confirmation, are new national records and the 54.0C recorded at Mitribah is among the highest temperatures ever recorded in Asia.While it was worthwhile the article noting the all time global high, the significant difference is that no one has built cities, towns and airports in Death Valley, have they?
The highest ever temperature recorded globally was 56.7C at Death Valley, California, USA on 10 July 1913.
The high temperatures will continue today (Friday) with 53.6C recorded at 1200 GMT at Basrah Airport, Iraq, but the weekend should see a break from the heat as northwesterly winds bring cooler air to the region.
The Bolt descent continues
Maybe Bolt considers himself in the running to head Fox News? He'd fit right in with his increasingly shrill and dumb posts which seem to now be in competition with the style of nutty and stupid exaggeration by the execrable Gateway Pundit.
Look at this post about Obama - for a video that is supposed to be "bizarre" and "chilling" (all because Obama briefly cracks a smile when he realises he shouldn't personalise it too much) - how come it's the Press in the audience that actually laugh at the fleeting incident?
Message to Bolt: the media does not generally laugh at "chilling" comments made by a President.
Also: he seems unable to contemplate the possibility that a report that the Munich teen killer was shouting "Allahu Akbar" was wrong. The claim seems to be based on one witness?
Look at this post about Obama - for a video that is supposed to be "bizarre" and "chilling" (all because Obama briefly cracks a smile when he realises he shouldn't personalise it too much) - how come it's the Press in the audience that actually laugh at the fleeting incident?
Message to Bolt: the media does not generally laugh at "chilling" comments made by a President.
Also: he seems unable to contemplate the possibility that a report that the Munich teen killer was shouting "Allahu Akbar" was wrong. The claim seems to be based on one witness?
What a weirdo
Scott Adams continues his self branding as a Trumpkin who claims he isn't at his blog. Or is he just doing it for publicity? Who cares?
Recommended viewing
I very much enjoyed the BBC doco last night on the futuristic looking Halley Research station in Antarctica on SBS.
It can be watched on SBS on Demand for the next couple of weeks.
It can be watched on SBS on Demand for the next couple of weeks.
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