Sometimes we shrug our shoulders and carry on and sometimes we need to stand up and be counted. Sometime the world needs a kick in the backside. Sometimes we just need to make each other smile.
Introduction
If you are looking for my amateur radio blog this isn't it. Every now and then I have something to say that does not fit in to what I want to post at CQHQ so that will be posted here. What you can expect to find here is my opinions on current affairs, family news and funny stuff that made me smile.
Details are emerging of the third Batman movie by Christopher Nolan, it will be called 'The Dark Knight Rises' . In an interview with the Los Angles Times Chris says he is not ready to reveal the villain of his 2012 film, but it will not be the Riddler. He has also previously revealed it will not be Mr Freeze. You can read more here.
Personally I was looking forward to Nolan's working of the character after the brilliant playing of the Joker by the tragic Heath Ledger. Turning the Joker from the camp clown of early incarnations to something resembling Dr Hanibal Lecter on acid would I am sure have made the latest adventure of the Dark Knight even darker. I would have liked people to leave the cinema trembling and scared to walk in the shadows, which is more like what reading the graphic novels alone in the dark felt when you were thirteen.
Foster’s Edinburgh Comedy Awards 2010 *** VOTE Ed Byrne *** http://bit.ly/mm-comedy-god There are so many good comedians out there who you could vote for but I am voting for Ed Byrne. Ed is out there on edge between mainstream comedy and alternative yet manages to pull it off without resorting to the gutter. Vote for him this time, he might be 'Byrned out' by next year.
Fosters lager - for when the real beer has run out.
Bird watchers are one of a number of hobbyists who have taken the Internet to their bosoms and used it to its full advantage. They are perhaps second only to radio amateurs who use spots via what is know as the DX cluster to keep each other informed of where the action is. Bird watchers use a variety of Internet alerting systems via mobile telephones and email to tell each other when a rare bird is spotted in the wild. In fact Twitter was made for what folk these need.
Not surprising then when Balderton Brook in nearby Saltney suddenly became the most popular destination in Wales as information was Tweeted, emailed and sent by text that a rare bird had been spotted. The Purple Gallinule, also known as a grey-headed swamp hen, which is a type of Moorhen from the marshlands of France and Spain and the lily beds of Asia had not been seen in Wales for at least 100 years. Chester Zoo was informed but they denied it was one of theirs as did various local collectors. The bird was around for three days and by Sunday there where fifty or so Twitchers with there scopes, binoculars, cameras and other optical equipment trained on the little bird, but it did not seem to perturbed. That lead to a rumour that although this bird was not ringed it might be an escapee from some colection or other.
A local Councillor and renowned nut case was interviewed by the local press about the bird and said “Why has it come here? Because it likes Saltney!” When are they going to get that man a straight jacket is what I want to know. Surely even a bird brain does not go to Saltney because they like it? I mean what is there to like? Except maybe a rare bird or two.
Unfortunately for the Twitchers the bird had not come as they hoped from India but had escaped from a collector. Apparently two of the birds escaped from an aviary three weeks ago. One returned but the other was missing. The owner arrived and easily recaptured his prize much to the disappointment of the onlookers. The RSPB were on hand and once he had proved to them it was his bird they let him take it away. What a pity since this is the most excitement since 1786 when the brothel burnt down and naked ladies of the night ran out in to the street causing much amusement amongst the young men of the town and red faces all around.
Don't cinemas want my custom? My son's and I were going to go and see the new movie 'Predators' on Thursday night, but when my eldest called to book tickets he was told that the only showings during the week were at 23:30 hours and that they were not in 3-D. If we wanted to see it at a sensible time and in 3-D we would have to go Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Due to my work pattern I cannot make those showings so I guess I will have to either buy the DVD or wait until it is on Sky TV.
Be afraid, be very afraid because eleven years after the original American McGee's Alice is coming back and it should be more twisted and scary than ever. I can't wait. Unfortunately I will have to, as it is not due out until next year.
The rumours started when Thewhiterabbit Tweeted, "Follow me and stay tuned for a major announcement from the mad world of Alice today!" Thewhiterabbit's Tweet was then retweeted on the official EA Twitter, leaving Alice fans desperate to know more.
Eleven years ago a horrific fire took Alice’s family from her and left her terribly burned—and her mind terribly scarred. Afterwards she was confined to Rutledge Asylum, struggling to come to terms with her demons by slipping into her fantasy world of Wonderland. Now, after ten years, she has finally secured her release--yet she still bears the heavy psychological burden of that tragic event.
In Alice: Madness Returns, Alice is released from the asylum to a London psychiatrist’s care. As nightmarish hallucinations continue to haunt her and invade her reality, she seeks to understand her torment in order to recover herself. Her mind in tatters, she is unable to resolve the fear and neuroses prompted by her strange memories, dreams, and visions. Her relocation to London seems only to add to their number and intensity.
Perhaps she’ll do better in Wonderland. She always has. She travels there, seeking what the “real” world can’t provide: security, knowledge, and the truth about the past. But in her absence, Wonderland too has suffered. Something has gone horribly wrong, and now a great evil is descending upon what once was her beautiful refuge.
Can Alice save Wonderland—and herself—from the madness that consumes them both?
One pill makes you larger And one pill makes you small And the ones that mother gives you Don't do anything at all Go ask Alice When she's ten feet tall
And if you go chasing rabbits And you know you're going to fall Tell 'em a hookah smoking caterpillar Has given you the call Call Alice When she was just small
When men on the chessboard Get up and tell you where to go And you've just had some kind of mushroom And your mind is moving low Go ask Alice I think she'll know
When logic and proportion Have fallen sloppy dead And the White Knight is talking backwards And the Red Queen's "off with her head!" Remember what the dormouse said: "Feed your head. Feed your head. Feed your head"
Mayonnaise (often abbreviated to mayo) is a stable emulsion of oil, egg yolk and either vinegar or lemon juice, with many options for embellishment with other herbs and spices. The stuff you buy in the shops also contains tons of salt, preservatives and sugar. Mayonnaise has frequently been the source of mass food poisonings due to the use of raw egg yolks full of salmonella bacteria. If not properly refrigerated even bacteria free fresh mayo goes bad extremely quickly. We are told that most people should avoid eating more than one or two eggs a week and that while the white is good for you the yolk is an evil cholesterol bomb. So can someone please explain to me why every ready made sandwich maker in Britain has stopped using butter or margarine and started to spread their bread with the potentially lethal concoction that is mayonnaise? I absolutely hate mayo and even if I did like it I would think twice about eating it at all outside of my own home where I know how it has been kept. Just what is wrong with a decent bit of butter? Just to rub it in these ready made sandwich makers sometimes supply "Mayo Free" versions, but these consist of dry bread, which is usually stale on both sides. I know I should try not to eat from service station refractories, but needs must. Sorry to moan but I have had enough of the dodgy pasties, sausage rolls and pies too.
Lodewicus Theodoru Oosthuizen what a name! What a worthy champion. Well done Louis, well done South Africa. That was a nice 92nd Birthday present for Nelson Mandela and a great touch from Louis to mention it in his winners speech. Somehow the final round of the Open seemed a bit of a foregone conclusion and maybe a bit of an anti-climax, but it never really is. Every shot counts and it was brilliant to watch a man that seemed to have nerves of steel enjoying his final round like he was just out for a knock about with his mates. That was certainly some of the neatest driving I can remember watching. Everyone wanted to see him get loads more birdies and the field to give him something think about but they failed and he played the percentages, and did what was necessary. The mark of a true champion.
I was disappointed that Paul Casey could not rise to the challenge. Maybe he too was playing the percentages and waiting for Louis to make mistakes, but the mistakes never materialised. I hope we see Paul win a Major soon, he has the talent and a Major win could just be the confidence booster he needs to become an unstoppable force in golf.
If Rory McIlroy doesn't win a Major in the next five years I will be most disappointed. Rory has talent by the bag full and seems destined for big things. After his amazing 63 in the first round he came in with a torrid 80 in the second but that did not stop him putting in two more excellent rounds in the difficult Scottish weather. If the weather on Friday had been better I think we might have seen this young man taking the Claret Jug.
South Korean amateur star Jin Jeong was for me the highlight of the championship. It was just a pity that we did not see more coverage of his progress on TV. Jin is the British Amateur Champion after his win at Muirfield last month. I would really like to see him match this weekends performance with a similar one at the Masters next year, before he turns professional.
Some new golfing stars worth watching, but it is always such a pity watching your old golfing heroes playing like amateurs. The weather made things difficult for everyone but somehow you expect the older guys to be able to cope better with the conditions than the young ones, but a lot of them never even made the cut. Maybe they have lost the hunger for the fight or maybe they are just no longer good enough but it doesn't matter we still love 'em.
My thanks to everyone involved for providing a wonderful weekends entertainment. One tip to the BBC though; Cut the build up and show the golf. Golfers out at 6:30 and coverage started at 9:00 yet it was after 10:30 before we saw any live golf.
Details are emerging of the third Batman movie by Christopher Nolan, it will be called 'The Dark Knight Rises' . In an interview with the Los Angles Times Chris says he is not ready to reveal the villain of his 2012 film, but it will not be the Riddler. He has also previously revealed it will not be Mr Freeze. You can read more here.
