El Pibe

Ha ha, brilliant!! It is awful stuff mainly because it's boring and the moral messages aren't so much anachronisitc as a bit weird. Always go with the wonderfully subversive ben and holly's little kingdom!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_ATlS8OAdc

So is the star in the sky there in the past or in the present?

NewToED, you're absolutely right that other conflicts don't seem to garner the same commentary. Part of it stems from the focus of media, THe millions dead in the various conflicts around the congo happened a very long way from anywhere logistically, certainly not the sort of conflict that modern news teams like to cover from the safety of a nearby Hilton. Some conflicts just aren't as photogenic, bombs going off in Built up areas, air raid sirens amidst apparent normalcy, war as entertainment. I refer you to the ever relevant day today The specifics of the anger though are I think mostly to do with the intractability of the conflict, a frustration that Israel isn't living up to the ideals of western liberal democracy that it claims to adhere to, noone expects anything but brutailty from a brutal dictator (though we know that liberal democracies are as prone as anyone else to go round shooting fuzzie wuzzies, theyre just not supposed to have empires anymore). But i think the main reason is because america takes an interest. If american poliitics weren't so caught up in it i doubt the media and hence the people around the world would take nearly as much of an active interest.

It amazes me that people are always willing to believe this shite. ALL the IDF have said is they're investigating the circumstances around this, so if they're unable to say what they did how they're able to speak for Hamas' operational details I don't know. In Lebanon hezbollah were blowing up entire neighbourhoods of southern Beirut, Bosnia the bosniaks were shelling their own markets and bread queues. It's the same smear propoganda aggressors use because it sticks. See also Franco using photos of its own massacres to accuse the republicans. See also german 'confessions' of the massacre at Katyn in the soviet war trials. I can't find anything anywhere that claims this, so well done for spreading vile propaganda uncleglen.

Ha, yeah did something similar only to find myself back by liverpool st at some ungodly hour. I swiped myself into the office, fell asleep under my desk and was wokien by the cleaner, i subtly emerged from under the desk and started working. Gosh you're early said everyone as they sloped in a hour or two later....yeah, think I'll head off early today....

SJ, I've done that journey about 20 times in the last year, now do it in a car with 2 kids who WONT GO TO SLEEEEEEEEPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!

Given its leafy nature, perhaps Peckerwood?

not saying i was expecting the same, but same writer, director, actor combo should hopefully produce the same quality again. Have read mostly positive reviews, though one took umbrage that it felt it was trying to rehabilitiate the church in the post paedo climate (I paraphrase).

Quite keen to watch Calvary now.

ooh, that's on my (very long) list. Worth it? I remeber reading Closing Time, the long-awaited sequel to Catch 22 and being very disappointed. I'll probably appreciate it more when I've lost my own teeth though thinking about it.

Watched The Guard, rather silly but very enjoyable Brendan Gleason vehicle as a rural policeman taking on police corruption and international drug gangs. Much lower key than it sounds, a fine turn by Mark Strong as a jaded drug baron and Don Cheadle, having already mangled an English accent in Oceans x, manages to mangle an American one! He's still curiously watchable despite this.

sorry, the street

chuck niceville over to me next time you're in town, sounds good.

Just finished Le Carre's A Delicate Truth. Short and sweet. not much to it really, but you know, any anti-blair rant is awright by me. Currently reading The Kills, a biography of the ... only joking a post iraq thriller about embezzlement, gangsters, the arms trade and so on. So far easily digestible but not as much fun (read not as geeky) as Neal Stephenson's bonkers Reamde. Ooh and Leviathan, another of these vaguely psychogeographicesque musings on stuff. gets rave reviews but finding it hard to like so far.

enjoyable spats DC, careful!

I think he's diggin up the fun ones. Nobody broke anything in that one :)

My wife just received an in-house style guide from Bank of Ireland that demands 'verbena' font always be used.

Do you mean "a bed in the water"?

irregardless ---- grrrrrr

I understand that one though; the full phrase is a bit of a mouthful (baddamtish) and it sort of still makes sense as it is kind of implied.

funny, i thought i was spending my efforts trying to point out the bloody great flaws through ignorance that are behind the stances people take usually for totally unconnected reasons. You think you have it bad, I've had to take issue with people singing amusing auschwitz songs over here it's so bad. "Fed up with reading (not just on here, but including on here) people trying to show how terribly clever they are whilst not actually knowing they're born." I don't even know where to start with this, but I'll stop bothering you, should hace stuck with my inital 'pointless debate' comment. Back to important stuff, yummie mummies, just how many of the current set of trolls are ALL lawrence, and dumpgate... For the record DaveR and i don't agree but i respect his stance and his knowledge; I know what Quids is fumbling at and I'm sympathetic, but it's often half baked*, misinformed and he can't resist those digs can he. *maybe 3/4 No right to opinion or response in any way because you don't know you're born or aren't directly involved, just wow.

You never know, things can move quickly and unexpectedly. I genuinely think the majority of Israelis want peace and compromise, but electorally speaking that sort of talk tends to get painted as weakness, surrender etc, so it boxes itself into a corner. They need a sort of compromise version of UKIP do do well and the central ground in domestic politics over this issue could move just enough for meaningful negotiation and progress to begin. I'm not holding my breath, but by the same token i won't be shocked if it happens. - oh jeez, grocers apostrophe!!!

no chance of a take off given that its about 20 m wide and the wingspan is 60 odd. I reckon it could probably manage an emergency landing there if it had dumped all its fuel then i guess the wings would sheer off but the body could do well given a very slow straight approach and a bit of luck. Might be one or two insurance claims along the way though!!!

talking of fisking >Hamas is the De Facto elected govt of the West Bank It's not, its the gaza strip, Fatah is the nominal party in charge of the PA there, though Israel is the de facto gov't of the west bank. And this argument falls into Israel's cake and eat it dealing with Hamas. It refuses to acknowledge any legitimacy it has in Gaza and will not negotiate with it, but can then argue that it's the responsible authority there when meeting out punishment.

BB, I'm not even sure what you were trying to say ;D