caldrail
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Blog Comments posted by caldrail
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And of course Hamas is only too pleased to get Israel into trouble, which was the entire reason for firing rockets. Using the population of Gaza as human shields is a tactic arabic nations have been using for some time for no better reason than the propaganda victory it creates when the other side unwittingly kills civilians dropping bombs on a military target. Israel though knows full well the civilians are there, but since Israel regards them as harbouring Hamas activists, it feels justified in collateral damage to ensure the safety of its own populace.
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Sounds unlikely. Israel is belligerent by nature and fed up with missile attacks. Although some people think Israel is a US puppet, I really can't see it, they're too bullish, though they do listen to the americans. If they have politcal concerns over their actions, its focused at home or the surrounding middle east, not who sits in the White House.
I understand Lebanon has got itself embroiled in this affair now, probably by Hamas or sympathisers operating on their territory.
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The interview? Mutual dissapointment I'm afraid. They weren't overly impressed with me and I wasn't about to sign a waiver against the 48 hours-a-week limit. They're looking for slaves. I base my case on the Universal Charter of Human Rights of 1948 which includes paragraphs to the effect that no-one should be enslaved and everyone should have access to free time.
There's going to be a lot of that in the future. With so many unemployed, so many losing jobs, that remaining employers are tempted to pick and choose those who accept conditions that really do amount to exploitation.
Weather is still cold yet remains quite bright.
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Your charity humbles me. Its a little ironic but weather is wonderfully sunny at the moment, not like the usual grey clag we get at this time of year.
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Guitar? Yes, I had that Waynes World experience in my younger days, staring lovingly at that expensive instrument as telling everyone "Oh yes, it will be mine".
Lets see... My first was an indifferent fender strat clone. Soon got bored with that. Then I got a Kramer Sharkfin. Not a great guitar but it could feedback like a stradovarius - you know what I mean. I had one of those Van Halen Kramer Baretta's once too,
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Don't worry, your secret is safe with me
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Without war, our species would wither, sadly. War is an extension of our animal behaviour, in that rival packs compete for survival, and in fact our nearest genetic neighbour, the chimpanzee, has been observed conducted border patrols and raids into 'enemy territory' just like we do. The struggle for survival improves our agility, senses, strength, and violent potential in a darwinian natural selection, though some might argue in modern war the scale of killing has the opposite effect.
Either way, we group ourselves for mutual protection and benefit, and vioklence is a primary method in nature of achieving your ends, so like it or not, we humans will carry on fighting.
The view that human beings are the highest form of life is something deep in our psyche and a point the Romans displayed in the arenas for public entertainment. Of course we're not, we're simply the end result of one strand of evolution and not guaranteed a place at the top of a food chain. Is anything better to come? Who can say? But to emerge as a dominant species probably doesn't require enlightened behaviour.
Anyway, thats enough philosophising. Its absolutely perishing cold in Britain right now, doom and gloom in the news, but Rushey Platt is on party alert. Have a good one everybody.
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Cheers. Incidentially....
For Interesting People Who Do Know
The Mille Miglia is a race that is of course one thousand miles long, not kilometres. Congratulations to everyone who got that right and knew something about classic motor racing, always a subject to fire the blood.
Happy New Year Reassessed
Good grief they're all at it. Gaza is turing into a bombing range, Democratic Republic of Congo is a warzone, Sudan don't know the meaning of peaceful communication, and... Well I'm sure there's plenty of other armed struggles in the world. Come on guys, stop fighting, go out and get merry. Its fun. But I suppose you'll only get violent when you get drunk....
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You're right. One guy achieves it by leaving his curtains open at nights. Hey, it works for him...
But then again, survival isn't about hunting and killing farmyard animals. Its about using the enviroment to your own advantage.
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Its got a lot to do with the quality of acting/direction. The modern BBC dramas all have the same style. There's no character study, just a lot of overacting and odd dialogue with breathless editing and flash imagery. Its all style nd no substance. You never have time to actually learn anything about the characters but I guess thats deliberate, because there isn't any to learn in the first place. A very hollow experience and one intended for those whose attention span is limited.
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I forgive you
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Screeching is unfortunately neccessary unless you're blessed with a powerful voice. The background of distorted guitar riffs doesn't leave a lot of room to be heard. Then again, there aren't many talented singers in metal anyway. One CD that crossed my desk recently was brilliant until the singer started.
Then again, I remember Dokken live at Hammersmith in the eighties, supporting german metal band Accept. Dokken, never a man to be humble, led his his band to an astonishing gig. He really did capture the audience and thats with the usual rocked up ballads he performed. Accept, a very tight and professional band themselves, struggled afterward despite the crowd pleasing headbanging rock like London Leatherboys
Dokkens material may have been a little mawkish and american, but his talent came through.
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Maybe we're lucky then and the worst ones don't cross the Atlantic. I must be honest though, there are exceptions. Fresh Prince of Bel Air does make me laugh though I wouldn't go out of my way to watch it, and thats despite it being a star vehicle for a young Will Smith.
What I will say though is american drama is getting very professional indeed and just wees over the standard of acting we get in BBC rivals.
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You know what? I agree. A lot of metal is derivative and mired in sub-cultural expectation. Take this review from Rolling Stone....
In June, these Chicago metalheads had the Number One album in America. It's not hard to see why: With meticulously constructed guitar skronk, serrated verses and cathartic refrains on cuts like "Enough," the album has clear pop appeal in its own dour way. Singer David Draiman says Indestructible is Disturbed's darkest record yet
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Possibly. We're exposed to a good deal of american culture from your film and tv however, its familiar to us, even if some of the detail and subtlety escape. Some Brits hate it, I'm not too bothered, but there are two aspects to american culture portrayed on screen that grate somewhat. First is the 'warm family moments' which are a bit too sweet for british sensibilities, the other is that strange obsession with male 'coming of age'. In fact, to our eyes US entertainment seems obsessed with youth, period. In British comedy, youths are usually embarrasing, which is pretty much what they are in real life. I know I was
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Thing is, we get american comedy over here. I've seen programs like Taxi, Happy Days, Seinfeld, Cheers etc and whilst it can be very funny indeed, some of the humour seems very strange (or even excruciating) to our ears, dependent as it is on american culture, and I'm sure some jokes are going straight over our heads. The cartoons (Simpsons, Family Guy, South Park) always seem to hit the spot.
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Yes PM was very much a child of its time and played on british behaviour that was viewed as bureaucratic and anachronistic. I agree - its hard to see how americans would get the jokes. What fascinates me though is how some of the more folksy comedy like Vicar of Dibley translates to californian sense of humour. I mean its so english!
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Last of the Summer Wine has conquered the Colonies? Unbelievable. It really does suprise seeing as the program is so ridiculously genteel and survives on self-parody. For us Brits, its embarrasing, especially those of us getting older and looking forward to emulating their exploits...
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Honey. Works a treat for colds and sore throats. But just a little tip - apparently fluffy bears like honey too and bees get quite upset if you nick their handiwork. Beware of spring loaded tigers.
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No. Jasper fans would be too drunk to drive
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Hermaphrodite? Makes me wonder what 'going on a summer holiday' on a double decker bus to Greece was really about off-camera. No wonder they were all smiling.
Well... fame is fleeting.... Now that my career as a celebrity is over, I can relax safe in the knowledge that Ant and Dec won't be asking me to do strange things in a jungle. I'm certainly not telling them I'm scared of Cliff Richard
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Only the getting rich bit if what I read in the papers is true. I think he must have french ancestory...
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Rather you than me
No Pain, No Gain
in caldrail's Blog
A blog by caldrail in General
Posted
We're a little spoilt for Top Gear. The program, or its 'Best Of' repeats, goes out on Sunday nights on the beeb whilst every single possible past episode is shown back to back on cable. (gibber)