I used the force once, however I was disappointed to discover that Newton's 3rd law applied...most embarrassing
Always disappointed in myself that I couldn't take to the books and was, therefore, very "ho-hum" about the film. It was ok, but nothing exceptional. And yet (and, yes, I know, one is not supposed to start a sentence with "And") I have tried and tried with the books and couldn't sympathise with the characters. I blame being brought up on a diet of Hornblower and Ramage - Aubrey just doesn't do it for me .......
Don't worry about starting sentences with 'And'. That's just what they taught you in school and it's for passing tests, not being creative. It's the same sort of outdated twaddle like 'I' before 'E' except after 'C', when there are loads of words that buck that rule. Both Dickens and Shakespeare started sentences with 'And' and that's good enough for me [which is why I do, btw]. I also read all of Hornblower. He and Aubrey are very different characters. Both are flawed in their own ways, brave in their own ways, smart, quick thinking, innovative, human! Aubrey is very much more so in that last respect. Both also look upon the lower orders of their crewmen with affection and loyalty. Both are also better at sea than on land. Both get into trouble with their higher ranking officers, although Aubrey really gets into trouble, and loses rank occasionally. However, Aubrey has no false modesty when it comes to being in women's company. And he is terrible with his finances and is often double crossed by his prize agent and accountant, and he also has the very close friendship of Stephen Maturin, who is, not only a superb Doctor/Surgeon for his time, but also a Spy. So there's quite a bit more going on in relationships with Aubrey-Maturin books. What I would say is that C.S. Forster's writing style is more accessible than Patrick O'Brian's. But I like them both. O'Brian gets into more sailing detail, which I love, and Forster's writing flows better, in my opinion. Horses for courses.
You may like to know that Brilliant Light Power came to the UK last week [16th December 2016] and did a small presentation in London. Energy production is about to get very interesting and much cheaper. Let's stop those stupid costly nuclear power stations, for starters. Oh, BT are one of the investors involved. Or you may be more interested in continuing to pay huge amounts of money for you energy. In which case, move along. You may wish to start it here: as Randall Mills, the inventor, runs through a lot of basic theory. This is where he explains how it works, and how and when it will end up as a product you can buy.
The suspect in the Berlin killings (Amri) has been shot dead in Milan after drawing a gun on policemen who challenged him. One policeman also injured.
Have to disagree with you there TSS. Crowe was born to play Maximus, his finest two hours, never to be bettered.
If ever I doubt my superiority (and unbelievably that can happen ), it is reinforced when out shopping near Xmas. I just stand back and let chaos unfold around me. Chill out folks, the food is not going to run out and it isn't an Olympic event.
