Did you know this was going on? I didn’t. So are they following the science? Or following the money?
2-2-22
With inbolc upon us, would you care to light a candle for the year to come and tell us your predictions for the next 12 months?
No apologies, this is political. Please watch this fillum.
I don’t know if this kind of thing will attract a dull chorus of ‘remoaner!’ from some quarters. Probably. But only from w*nkers. Something I do know is that this should have been expected all along, but the blond booster from the Bullingdon pulled the wool over a sufficient number of eyes to leave a large proportion of our fishing industry now crying into their own voting records.
£350 million frigates to deploy matelots with cork-screws in battle against over-loaded ribs.
This just in: the Home Secretary has rounded up all of the spare cork-screws from the various rooms within Number 10 and is to re-deploy them using Royal Navy frigates patrolling the channel in search of over-loaded rigid inflatable boats (‘rib’s).
Matelots will receive special training in puncturing the rubber vessels using short stabbing motions of the repurposed tools, in order to demonstrate the full return of border control to HM Govt. post-Brexit.
ATM – learning how to use WordPress – what book to buy?
Our village needs a better website than the thing our Parish Council currently has. The existing site is pretty static, barely meets the accessibility rules, and doesn’t let anyone in the Council make changes beyond posting new docs (as pdfs) to a linked Google docs site.
Changing anything else means a call to the bloke what wrote it, and there’s a subsequent charge for his time. TBF he isn’t stiffing them for vast sums, but the delay in making even simple changes (updating phone numbers etc.) is a PITA, and it would be better if they had more direct control.
As the only person they can find who knows a little bit about html and urls and so on, I’ve been volunteered to do some investigation and exploration of the possibilities. To that end I’ve recently opened a free account with WordPress, bought an appropriate domain name, and started using the online WordPress editing facility to see if I can knock something into shape. It’s coming along OK, but the learning curve is still pretty steep.
Trial and error is all well and good in this early exploratory stage, but once the thing gets published it’ll be a more » Continue Reading.
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe at Christmas
“Liverpool’s ‘Forgotten Town’ hitmakers, The Christians have made something beautiful, a song our family are proud to be part of. And a video of struggle, but also of the power of holding on. The song echoes an earlier generation of hostages. It was originally written for John McCarthy, then held in Lebanon, and Jill Morrell, who battled for him. It was a testimony to the power of the love outside.
If you are still willing to help after 6 years of petitions, please do consider downloading the song and sharing the video. For those in the UK and beyond, still looking for a last minute Christmas gift, the deadline for downloads for the Christmas charts is 23:59 GMT Thursday December 23. Generally, it takes 8,000 sales in a week to get into the official charts, and ten times that to get close to the top.
Intently watching a song bob around the charts is not usually something that matters to middle aged auditors, nor for that matter government stand offs over hostages and debts. We reached out to the Prime Minister asking him to speak to Nazanin on her birthday. He was not available. His office did not explain why. » Continue Reading.
Great docu on telly about the best Disco film ever ever ever made.
Just a heads-up in case anyone missed it; BBC4 broadcast a fantastic documentary last night about the making of the best Disco film ever, ever, ever; the joyous romp that is Saturday Night Fever.
I recall that watched the movie on a big screen cinema in Exeter back in the day and boogied all the way back to my flat afterwards. The documentary was hugely engrossing, and just made me want to get the DVD out and PAAAAARTY.
Anyone overseas without a VPN, drop me a line if you missed it.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b09jxjxs/saturday-night-fever-the-ultimate-disco-movie
Brilliant little METAL documentary
Just watched this little fillum about two guys going to the Bloodstock moshfest. Even if you don’t like metal, I think you’ll really enjoy this.
Apologies to Afterworders who cannot access the BBC iPlayer. If you really want to see the programme, drop me a line (winks).
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0b5xyds/radio-1-stories-sashay-to-hell
Gone Bronski. No age at all. Respect due.
I was dismayed to hear that one of the founders of Bronski Beat, Steve “Bronski” Forrest, has died at a ridiculously early age. The brilliant single Smalltown Boy was profoundly influential on release. It serves as a fine tribute to a talented man.
No musicians, just 51 drummers.
Tap your toes to this and stump up a little extra cash for the Children In Need appeal if you can.
https://donate.bbcchildreninneed.co.uk/
It’s a choon, and hammered out like this was an awesome sound I thought.
All power to your sore elbows, young man, top effort.
ATM – the forthcoming ‘Steely Dan Box’ of 6 live gigs…..
This newish 6 CD set may be had for a reasonable sum, and I’m sorely tempted.
BUT, and it’s a big one, I can’t find any information about the quality of the recordings. I know these are gigs from USA radio perfomances, but I would like to know if they are just captured FM streams (i.e. quite possibly pretty shitty really) or pre-FM masters sourced from the radio stations responsible (i.e. quite possibly rather excellent).
I have a few FM radio broadcasts of ‘ver Dan, and some are a LOT better than others, while some of them are unfortunately compressed to buggery, as the techies say.
Does anyone here have any better idea about the provenance and quality of these recordings?
Awesome COP26 presentation from Attenborough
What a challenge set out. Hope the various (self) important people are up to it.
Your thoughts?
WAKE UP! It’s Thursday and this is how you start your day…
For no other reason than the fact that this is an absolute belter of a tune that cannot fail to lift your spirits and make your feet jiggle, here’s a huge hero of mine, Martyn Bennett, with a song to fill your heart with gladness.
Please feel free to contribute to the sunny sum of human happiness by adding your own WAKE UP! choons in the comments.
Have a great day!
They’ll have to prise my GB sticker from my cold, dead hands.
The latest indignity as part of the fallout from Cameron’s Folly. That lovely blue oval with golden stars surrounding the proud letters GB wil have to go before I can drive across the Emerald Isle once more. The number plate, with its Euroean band and a little version of GB must also be replaced. Halfords will be chuckling all the way to the bank. Good job my passport is now a deep shade of blue.
Have a great weekend everyone.
Apropos of nothing in particular except to say I hope everybody has a pleasant weekend.
This video of Gary Moore and pals rocking out Whiskey In The Jar is a belter.
Find your inner Saxondale, and post your own foot-tapping choice in the comments to hasten the weekend in.
Re-sleeving your CDs to save shelf space; a Haynes Manual for the spatially challenged
@Pajp and @rigid-digit
As promised a step by step photo guide to how I save about 65% of my shelf space by re-sleeving my CDs ina bespoke stylee using 7in polythene singles sleeves repurposed for CDs such that nothing needs to be folded or cut in the process, and the hit-to-the-wallet is minimised compared to using commercially produced options.
The process is illustrated in the comments, as this is rather an image heavy post (er, obviously). Don’t click through if you are using a steam-powered browser and a dial-up modem connection.
/nerdy trivia mode
Pärson Sound. What the actual? Immense astral nonsense!! Belting bonkers brilliance!!!
Pärson Sound. Anyone else enjoyed them? I’ve recently managed to source a copy of the CD reissue for a sensible amount of money (i.e. not via the dodgers) and as a consequence I am now selling all of my earthly possessions and heading overland to a remote ashram for chakra recovery and prolonged contemplative meditation.
Care to share your own favourite sonic recipes for mental stimulation and nicely disorienting confusion?
Happy Bank Holiday Monday everybody (or just Monday if you’re overseas)
Amidst all of the ghastly carnage, the staggering levels of human failure, the awesome natural disasters, the inexorable iterative loss of our musical elders and the debasement of proper cricket, there’s still the balm of music to sooth our hearts. Give thanks and listen, oh ye faithful.
Here’s a lovely little number to start you off, and please feel free to add your own modicum of serenity and peace in the comments below.
Taking the money, telling the lies and running off with a CBE as a result?
I shouldn’t have to remind anyone based in the UK of the appalling fiasco of the Post Office’s flawed IT system called ‘Horizon’ that led to many of the Post Office’s subpostmaster employees being falsely accused, and often convicted, of stealing money from their sub-Post Office business accounts. The damage to individuals has been life changingly catastrophic. At least one suicide resulted.
Now that their collective legal challenge has finally won through, and that they can expect some form of financial compensation, the management of the Post Office at the time need to be seriously considered for prosecution on account of their awful, wicked behaviour throughout.
One woman was the chief executive who oversaw all of this and the subsequent cover-up. She’s also an ordained priest, but her moral convictions didn’t extend to offering her employees the benefit of the doubt, and didn’t prevent her from apparently telling fibs to a lot of people. She even got awarded a CBE for her ‘services’ to the nation. She’s a disgrace, and in my opinion ought to go to jail for this. There’s a petition trying to start the process by removing her gong. You may wish to add your signature.
THIS is terrific.
I don’t buy much music as downloaded files, but I heard this and I wanted to be able to burn it onto a disc for the car; it’s absolutely brilliant. Can’t wait to get the full album when it becomes available.
https://matsulimusic.bandcamp.com/track/you-think-you-know-me-2
As you were.
England v Italy– no predictions please. Only unrelated, random thoughts.
Avoid predicting the outcome of the final, musing on the attacking play of the Italians, or imagining that Harry Maguire lamps Chiellini in the penalty area, just in case you jinx things.
Instead, in order to avoid becoming a hostage to fortune, use this all-purpose thread to post your vague musings on all manner of subjects. Indecipherable mumbo-jumbo. Random witterings about nothing in particular, or passionate cries for understanding about some irrational nonsense that’s important to you, though you have no idea why it is so.
Just don’t mention that game, ok?
England v Denmark – your predictions please.
What are you predicting the outcome will be? Enger-land to triumph, or more Danegeld to pay than Smaug’s horde?
Sportsmanship
I am not a sports fan. Generally speaking, I just let sporting things happen, somewhere over there. I may be aware of them but I don’t tune in. I certainly don’t participate.
I’m the kind of guy who usually tunes in for the big events only; the Six Nations, The Ashes, the Olympics, the World Cup, that kind of thing. I do a bit of reading up (ok, I just read the sports section in the Sunday papers – the only time I do that – the weekend before the event starts) and gently enjoy the spectacle. Mostly. After watching a game, or a day’s play, I flinch and desist from the achingly predictable return to stereotypical male behaviour surfaced at the next day’s video conferences, where I am suddenly in the presence of several deeply technical experts who waffle embarrassingly for ages before turning to the business of the day. So tedious. So boring. So sad. So infantile.
This last week or two, I’ve paid some attention to the Euro 2020 thing, watching more games of soccer than I’ve seen in the entirety of the last 12 months. On the whole, I’ve been underwhelmed by it all. So » Continue Reading.
Will the frightened rabbit survive? Or is Matt Hancock now toast?
The rabbit-in-the-headlights look started to fade once the vaccination programme started to gain traction (like the frightened sweatiness apparent on his boss’s face during the same period), but Hancock’s early misdemeanors and blatant incompetence have now been called out at some length.
Will he have to go? Will it wash with anyone if he doesn’t get the shove? Anyone else watching Cummings’ delicious character demolition of this sorry crowd of self-entitled tossers?
Coast to Coast
It must have been here, or at our previous gaff, that someone mentioned the fillum called ‘Coast To Coast’ which was made by the Beeb in 1987 featuring Lenny Henry, John Shea, Peter Vaughan, Pete Postlethwaite, Cherie Lunghi ,Edward Peel,Tony Haygarth,Bobby Knutt and Al Matthews.
The yarn is a nice old-fashioned fairly light hearted (not for all of the characters, it has to be said) gangster caper. What really makes it shine is the outstanding soundtrack. But that’s also the reason why it’s only ever been broadcast, it’s never been released on a keep-your-own-copy medium; the copyright lawyers have seen to that. Which is a travesty – it’s well worth an hour and a bit of your time, and has a huge toe-tapping potential along the way:
“Ain’t That Peculiar” by Marvin Gaye “Heaven Must Have Sent You” by The Elgins “Money” by Barratt Strong “It Should’ve Been Me” by Gladys Knight “It’s the Same Old Song” by Four tops “Just a Little Misunderstanding” by The Contours “Going to a Go-Go” by The Miracles “Danger Heartache Dead Ahead” by The Marvelettes “Nowhere to Run” by Martha & The Vandellas “(I’m a) Road Runner” by Junior Walker & The » Continue Reading.