Tough Guys with a Soft Centre

I really, really do not like traditional heroine stories from a bygone era. This also extends to most romance books and films, traditionally written from a woman's viewpoint, where she falls in love with the strong silent hero, for example.

That doesn't happen these days, does it? Oddly, I find myself fascinated by certain characters who are tough guys with a soft centre.

To focus on two actors who play these characters very well, Adam Baldwin and Christian Kane (both who were up for the part of Jayne Cobb in Firefly and, I believe, are friends), I'll refer to the TV series (plural) Chuck and Leverage.

By the end of Chuck, I found that the story of the main two co-stars had played out but I was left wanting to know more about John Casey, whose character developed brilliantly as the series progressed. 

In Leverage, Eliot Spencer was a straightforward yet complex person and I wanted to see more of him. But... did I want to know more about him? Debateable, given his brief descriptions of his past deeds. And it was great to see that Adam Baldwin had a guest appearance in S5. As far as Eliot goes, I'm delighted that, not only has Leverage:Redemption now aired but Christian Kane has the lead role in Almost Paradise, where he plays a similar character - tough, soft, not quite loveable.

Having read an old interview with Christian Kane about adapting to his role in The Librarians (a series that I've been trying to watch for a while, having seen a Librarians movie, but it's an additional cost over and above paying for Prime/Freevee), I'm even more intrigued to watch his portrayal. There's a rumour of bringing back a new series of The Librarians but, of course, everything from the 'States is taking forever because of the Writers' strike. Money-grabbing studio execs are trying to save money on paying writers and supporting actors/extras. Wow, big businesses are greedy - who would've guessed!

I haven't seen Angel, where both actors have roles, because I wasn't keen on Buffy the Vampire Slayer but I guess that has to be on my list? I'm just curious to see how AB & CK fit these different characters.

Conclusion: the strong, silent hero is alive and well in the 21st Century. In the UK, Chuck, Leverage and Leverage:Redemption are free with Prime (I think that Firefly and Serenity are also available - but to buy).

Your relevant comments are welcome.

Beneficiaries of Cancer Financials

Put simply, the British public pours £millions into cancer research and we celebrate when there is a breakthrough. It then takes years for the drugs to be made available to the NHS at an extortionate price.

Recap: the public pays for the research then the public pays again for the results - or not, because there's not enough money to cover the costs incurred by the pharmaceutical company. Specific costs include further development, testing, manufacture, packaging and sales commissions; shared costs include constantly upgrading laboratories, staff salaries, general business costs and shareholders profits.

What is the money cycle? This is not a factual statement, not even an educated guess, I am just wondering... 

• Charity donations presumably passed to universities and non-profit trusts to aid research?
• Do the pharma companies then have to bid for the research information or is it given freely?
• If no one buys the drugs, does the whole investment get written off as a loss? 
• If so, wouldn't it be better to halve the cost of drugs to the NHS and recoup some of the expenses? 

Compassion and emotion drive the campaigns, creating a demand for solutions and providing the blueprint in terms of research information, but commerce controls the engine. The NHS holds the role of completing the circle by bringing the benefits of cancer research to the British public.

There is an imbalance of power. The moment that Joe Public hands over the money, any control over its onward journey has gone. This applies both to cancer research donations and to compulsory NHS contributions.

Who has a workable solution?

Crumpet Rant!

Dear Supermarkets,

Buttered Crumpet

Please stock more Warburtons crumpets and don't bother with those inferior products from Kingsmill or Hovis!

For the past three weeks, in two different supermarkets, there has been empty shelf-space where Warburtons crumpets should be - so it seems that everyone else has discovered that these are the best crumpets. In disappointment, I refused to purchase a substitute brand the first week.

The second week, I thought I'd try Hovis. Not only was the taste and texture not as good but after a couple of days, the ones we hadn't eaten had gone moldy - yuk! This week, I purchased Kingsmill and they are as horrible or possibly worse. I have put them in the freezer until I find someone hungry enough to want to eat them.

By the way, I had previously tried supermarkets' own brand crumpets, including their 'best' ranges and they just don't match the quality of Warburtons crumpets.

Regards,
Me.

School = Prison

I heard a news report about a high number of teenagers being depressed and it doesn't take a genius to understand why. Parents are forced to send their children to school to complete a minimum of 13 years in an institution where parents and kids have very little say.

School is just like an open prison where children have to follow rules without question. There is often bullying by teachers and other inmates -er, pupils- and sentences are not commuted for good behaviour. These kids have done nothing wrong and not even had a trial - so much for living in a 'free' country.

Here's the shocker... some teenagers hate school and this leads to depression and aggression. Earlier generations could leave school at 14, 15 or 16 but now it's 18 and the reasons for this are not improved education but political convenience. No wonder that some teenagers feel that the only control they have over their lives is the power to end it.

Flexing yet more power, authorities are now punishing parents with hefty fines for deciding that two weeks of quality family time is important. This is not about the child's education, it's a spiteful reaction to stop people stepping out of line.

During a discussion regarding discretionary term-time holidays, a councillor from Leeds on Breakfast TV nullified her argument by asking What if 20 people wanted to take their child out of a class in the same week? Reverting to discussions between parents and head-teacher would ensure that such occasions are managed properly and work can be made up, as it has to be if a child is off sick or suspended.

And, oh joy, we are exporting our education system to third world countries in the same way our ancestors exported religion. I think we need a re-think.

Mum
(who never took a child out of school)

Flying with Hagrid

I sat next to Hagrid on a 7.5 hour overnight flight with Virgin Atlantic - and the aircraft designers really didn't consider him during their calculations.

Of course it wasn't really Hagrid, it was a young man of rugby player stature: 6'2" tall with huge chest and thighs. His knees touched the back of the seat in front of him but when the person in that seat decided to recline it to sleep, Hagrid had to splay his legs to either side of the recliner, one knee poking into the aisle and the other hogging part of my space.

Another knock-on effect of this was that his thighs were then forcing the arm rests up which, in turn, prevented the tables folding down properly... really, did nobody test this?

He didn't grumble though. Probably thought it was more comfortable than a broomstick.

BP2

Good Twin / Evil Twin ?

I have two sons.

My favourite one talks to me pleasantly, is funny, makes himself a cup of tea and is occasionally helpful around the house.

The other one spends much of his time on the internet, playing electronic games or watching TV. He is intolerant of those around him, rude when spoken to, does little for himself and even less for anyone else.

They were born on the same day yet they are not twins.

'Good Twin' is a mature 20-something and 'Evil Twin' is a self-centred teen, 10 years his junior. Except that these ages are misleading.

An Only Child.

As a pre-schooler, my son was happy, cuddly, inquisitive, creative, chatty, always giggling. Primary school was a culture shock as he realised that the whole world did not revolve around him. However, he was mostly happy.

Senior school was a disaster and gave birth to Evil Twin.

My son is approaching 19, his 'Evil' self is exactly 5 years younger than his real age and his 'Good' self exactly 5 years older.

Good Twin re-emerged after a single term at university and is battling Evil Twin. I hope Good Twin wins.

Mum

On behalf of the Sensible Party

Do we have too much information about other people's lifestyles? Instead of enjoying our own lives, are we comparing and envying the lives of others?

All political parties seem to class-obsessed (assuming class is now based on money rather than a person's character, which was a more admirable aspiration). That's no way to govern, yet it seems to be associated with all democracies.

      On class & equality:
          Conservative - every one should be almost as equal as we are
          Liberal - we are all equal but there's some balancing to be done
          Labour - let the poor rise up and destroy the rich, until we are the rich

On the bright side, if there is an apocalypse, there will be a chance to start over.
:-)
      And...
          Always look on the bright side of life ♪ ♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ ♫
          Always look on the bright side of life ♪ ♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ ♫

political fence-sitter

TV Licences for Students

Added to the tripling of University fees, you will need to find money for:

• accommodation, approx £5,000pa
• set books plus stationery odds and ends, £200pa
• depending on your course, you may need
• computer (e.g.Apple Mac, accessories, software, £2,000)
• other accessories: special clothing, personal equipment (£?)
• everyday food and hygiene products, approx £30-£40 per week
• additional sets of pots, pans, food storage boxes and other items
• TV Licence!

If a student wants to play PlayStation or X-Box that requires a TV, a licence is necessary, even if no TV programmes are watched. If a student doesn't have a TV but watches live broadcasts on a computer, a TV licence is necessary. Here is a link to TV Licence Rules.

Some extracts:
"Your hall's licence won’t cover you, and you may not be covered by your parents’ licence. Thankfully, it’s easy to buy your own." Easy? Not if you don't have the money, it isn't!
"...you may need your own licence if your accommodation is self-contained – i.e. you have exclusive access to washing facilities..." What the hell does an en-suite have to do with a TV licence?!!

A total rip-off in the case of students in halls or sharing an apartment where a TV licence is already in place for the apartment - just because there is a private washing area in your bedroom? Unbelievable!

Posted on behalf of angry, broke and getting poorer Student

Reading, Comprehension and Writing

Not long after my son started school, he was given a book and asked to read the page. After a minute's silence, he was asked "Can you read it?" to which he replied that he already had and was then quizzed on the content to test his comprehension. The teacher told me this because it is apparently unusual for young children to read without sounding out the words.

The teacher further commented that some of the children whose reading skills seemed to be ahead of the others did not take in the text and were unable to answer questions relating to the passage they had just read so beautifully.

My son enunciates very well and his comprehension is good. His writing, however, let him down and the primary school provided additional coaching in English and literacy to help him pass his SATs. Since today's focus is on using computers rather than pen and paper, he is thriving and is self-motivated to correct spelling or grammatical errors. In fact, as there are no longer any demands for pages of hand-written submissions, his writing has become neat and legible.

Good result, all round.

Not Impressed, Dad.

Yesterday afternoon, a man at the bar in a village pub ordered a pint of beer and a half-pint of bitter-shandy and took the drinks into the garden where he handed the half-pint to a boy, aged about 8 years old, who said "thanks, dad". The pair had the same again before driving away in an Audi convertible with personalised number plate.

Invasive Porn, thanks Google.

I ventured into blogging in 2007 and was almost instantly scared off! While trying to find my way around blogger, I clicked on 'next blog' at the top right of the screen - it was a very explicit porn blog. In sheer panic, I hit the back button but it wouldn't go away, it kept refreshing. Aargh! What if it's a virus that permeates my computer? What if there's a trace on people viewing porn sites? What if... lots of things. How could Google allow this???

I closed the browser, tried to clear my mind, opened up the browser again and immediately cleared all history and cache, then closed it again and ran all the anti-virus software. I have never, ever, clicked that link since.

What Can Old People Do For You?

Think not what you can do for the elderly but what they can do for you because, in many cases, what you can do for them is to enable them to feel useful, wanted, valued.

Older people are not stupid, it just takes a little longer for bits of the brain to connect. Many older people have much wisdom. If you are patronising, they know.

So consider whether your attitude should be along the lines of helping to enlighten an elderly person that you know or fetching them cups of tea so they don't have to move - or whether it might be better to form a more natural give-and-take relationship.

Remember when you were young and your grandparents loved doing stuff with you, FOR you. It's natural to want to reciprocate as you become the stronger one but there is a danger of chipping away at their independence and self-worth if they become reliant on others. This is one of the major failings of some care homes - residents are generally not allowed to make hot drinks or butter some toast.

If you visit an elderly friend, please don't automatically jump in and do everything for them. If they can do something for you, please let them.

Music Analysis 1960s & 50 years later

Why did songs from the 1960s convey feelings of unrequited love or of the hurt that follows rejection, whilst the trend today is more about sex or aggression? Discuss.

There was limited social acceptance of teenage boys and young men admitting to 'soft' feelings in real life during the 1960s therefore the rock-and-roll outlet was a credible alternative to release the angst and share with others who were secretly feeling the same way.

So many examples come to mind from Ben E King's 1961 hit Stand By Me, Go Now in 64/65, and a number of Lennon-McCartney songs, including: I'm A Loser, If I Fell, You've Got To Hide Your Love Away, Don't Let Me Down (okay so they are mainly John Lennon's lyrics - he had a lot of angst).

These days, homosexual relationships are not illegal (it was a criminal offence in the 1960s) and it is more acceptable for boys to confess their 'soppy' feelings to sympathetic ears, male or female. It is less 'taboo' to harp on about sex (previously disguised in songs as 'making love') unlike in 1969, when Je T'Aime… Moi Non Plus was banned in several countries for being too explicit.

There are other frustrations for today's youth, leading to a growth in rap (ranting-to-a-beat) which, regretfully, I'm unable to comment on as I haven't listened to much of it, except some Run DMC which is the exception that proves the rule!

Agree or disagree? Please feel free to comment but keep it polite and keep it clean, thanks.

BP2

Releasing Green Belt Land for Housing

What really bugs me about this is that the ordinary citizen who wishes to build a modest individual home of tasteful design on a quarter of an acre plot in a quiet, non-estate location has to fight tooth and nail for permission. Yet, completely spoiling acres of beautiful countryside by cramming in as many ugly cloned homes as possible seems to happen frequently.

Does it make sense? You can't build a single house in a field as it will spoil the natural beauty of the area but you can pile tons of bricks, tiles, concrete and tarmac in a field with inadequate infrastructure for the influx of families and an average of an additional vehicle per bedroom.

Don't get me wrong, I understand that affordable housing is necessary. My point is that the individual who wants to undertake a self-build home can rarely find a decent plot with permission.

It would be great if the Letchworth principle of individual homes was applied to a portion of the acreage released for mass new building. Seeing rows of regimented housing is quite depressing.

Twitter: join in, be nice!

I'm following over 300 accounts on Twitter. Some because they're entertaining or informative, others because we share some common interest. I can't control who follows me, currently almost 300, and haven't tried to analyse our followers!

If I see a tweet that made me smile, I 'favourite' it so that I can easily find it and smile again another time! What I enjoy about most using Twitter is interacting with friendly tweeters but this isn't as simple as it seems because many tweets are statements that do not invite or encourage responses. For example, some of my tweets provide links to blogs I've read or written, therefore the response is more likely to be in the form of a comment posted on the blog rather than a reply-tweet.

However, amongst recent tweets, I've specifically invited responses. It all depends, of course, who is on-line at the time and their particular circumstances: time available, cheerful mood, etc. In response to "And why do so few people respond to tweets? (here's your chance...)" there was nothing although a similar tweet "while we're on the subject of blogs, what does it take to encourage people to add comments?" did receive an amusing response from a local pub-restaurant account, Twitter.com/RadcliffeArms.

I like to respond to tweeters who are reaching out but the mind is a complex mass of What-ifs, such as: will they take my comment in the spirit it was intended? Am I being intrusive/ presumptuous /original? Will they think I'm stalking them or will they become a hanger-on? And so on.

Anyway, please respond to tweets and be nice!

British Comedy Awards 2012

I'm pleased that my new BFF Jo Brand won an award and Lee Mack was deservedly Best TV Comic (male).

However... many of the nominations/awards went to programmes that I've never even heard of!!! Hunderby - what/when/why? If this was completely off my radar, despite TV promos, twitter and internet browsing, who voted for it?

Also, the clips shown for nominated sit-coms that I hadn't seen certainly didn't make me feel I'd missed anything. Were they badly selected or can un-funny stuff win awards? (Well, yes it can.)

I'm disappointed that I couldn't agree with most nominations or winners but, because I hadn't seen these (new?) programmes, I couldn't disagree either. Weird.

Rape of Schoolgirl in North London

2012: a recent news story made me reflect on my years as a schoolgirl and the lucky escape I had at that time, not far from there.

1970: Two teenage boys were walking a few paces behind my friend and me. As we reached the entrance to playing fields, they caught up with us and pulled us away from the street. I was being physically overpowered but trying to distract the boy with conversation while my friend, who managed to escape, went to get help from a house opposite.

The man from the house shouted and the boys then ran off.

I never told my parents as I didn't want them to worry or over-protect me. I'm now a parent...

Not Going Out, Not Getting In!

Batman under cover? Holy Steptoe & Son!

If you are going to a studio recording of Not Going Out at Teddington Studios, make a day of it. It states on the tickets that they over-subscribe due to a high number of no-shows and that people are let in on a 'first come' basis.

Here are some tips. If driving, there is parking further along the road from the studio but that could be at least 500 - 800 metres/yards. Also, your average speed for the final 7 miles will be around 11 miles per hour - I kid you not! We left  North Herts at 4pm on the dot, expecting to arrive in Teddington around 5.40pm but it was 6.10pm plus parking and walking back. Still in plenty of time as doors open at 6.30pm for a 7.30pm start and we could see that the queue wasn't too long.

We all stood, unsheltered from the rain, until the doors opened. As we neared the entrance, the queue stopped shuffling with a dozen people in front of us. Full! When we queried that the number of people let in was very small, we were told that some had already been let in earlier (even though we had arrived 10 minutes before 'doors open'). Hmm. It seems that some priority tickets are issued - not sure how you can get them.

So you need to arrive no later than 6pm and not for 6.30pm as implied. It might also be worth finding a route that doesn't use roads, as the A1 was clear but the rest of the journey was a nightmare. Alternatively, the train journey from Hertfordshire involves two changes (Kings Cross and Vauxhall), takes about 2 hours and costs around £20-£30. You won't get back till after midnight.

Time wasted, there & back = 4.5 hours
Cost of fuel (120 mile round trip) = £25

Twitter Lists and trends

I read a blog on using Twitter lists and it made me realise that I must be horrendous to follow - no wonder my number of followers goes up and down like a yoyo. If I was following me, I would have to put me in a few lists because my tweets are so random. I would put me in a THFC list (someone already has) and a F1 list, also a sci-fi list, a 'local' list and a hashtag list (because, recently, I've been very bored on the evenings and joined in lots of twitter hashtag games - this must be incredibly annoying for some followers).

I've created lists and, during THFC matches, I can restrict my interaction to a single topic with other Spurs supporters; during the Grand Prix coverage, I'll just have exchanges with F1 fans watching the Grand Prix.

This is because, during other times, we may have nothing else in common. For example, fellow Whovians might like cricket or politics - or worse: they might be gooners! Of course, if someone tweets about Sci-fi and F1, they'll be in two lists.

Of course, there are loads of people who I follow in a regular way. These are usually people with a similar sense of humour who make me laugh every day or deliver useful or local information for my everyday life.

Update re hashtag gamers... I've noticed a trend recently where some people are tweeting without socialising. The result of not bothering to read other tagged tweets is that 'original' ideas appear in several similar tweets; it also means that tweets which deserve a fave or retweet are getting overlooked.

I don't know why people follow me (thanks if you do) but I choose not to follow those who tweet TOO MUCH or who use bad swear words!

           

Comparing deaths

This post is in response to a recent news report of a tragic accident in London. An eye-witness said:

"It makes you think, who cares if I die of lung cancer? Because you can go anytime, anywhere, anyhow."

Hopefully, when the shock has subsided, he will reconsider this statement. Maybe he doesn't have anyone to care, in which case he is still choosing a prolonged painful death. Assuming he does have someone to care, his attitude is totally selfish. They won't want to watch his suffering.

I hope he recovers from the trauma and is able to think rationally about living well rather than dying badly. I hope he has people to care about him and I also hope that he doesn't wish to test their love by putting them through weeks or months of distress.