Harry Potter again. I'd watched the first couple of films, the first one being terrible, and the second one being bearable. Well they started to get better. The Prisoner of Azkaban [2004] was genuinely not bad at all. The change in director making some improvement. The characters were better realised, as was the acting. The introduction of David Thewlis and Gary Oldman helped raise the level there. This was possibly the first film that I could have watched on its own and been reasonably entertained by. The same goes for The Goblet of Fire [2005]. one senses a growing maturity in the characters [well that much is obvious], and also in the film making. It's as if they needed to make the first two films in order to make the first half-decent one. Then comes The Order of the Phoenix [2007] and along with it the maturity grows. It's also at this point that one senses that the themes of the films have become noticeably darker. For my money we're still not getting into proper good film territory because I can't take the whole thing seriously - yet, but I'm certainly starting to be won over. They are certainly becoming entertaining. I could even almost recommend these three films to anyone who hasn't seen them [OK, I accept I was the last person not to watch them]. And crikey, they're quite long, these Potter films. Noticeably, they appear to be getting shorter though. A good sign.
Terrific day of golf - Phil will be scratching his head as to how shooting a bogey free 6 under par final round sees him fall short by 3 shots. Awesome from Stenson.
Love the Potter films - some great memories of the early films with us all as a family. The fourth and six ones really great for me. But I like them all (even the first two).
The Harry Potter books came out at just the right time for my childhood. My favourite films are the last 2.
Tangent sorry - I watched the final instalment in the cinema when it came out. At the end, as the credits rolled, the entire audience stood and applauded. I joined in too. For me - not because the film itself was particularly good, but more that I'd been on a magical journey throughout my childhood thanks to J.K. Rowling. I was the perfect age as the books were released one by one, and I truly felt as though I was growing up with the characters. And this journey had come to an end. It really hit home to me, I was no longer a child, the chapter of my life for childhood was over. It made me feel quite sad.
Yes, it was. Not at those who voted Remain. However, he does criticise himself and self parody to make his point. The message is still there though.
Good detailed analysis of one throwaway line. One which contained a self-critical element too: “I think I was slightly angrier with Tony Blair for banning smoking in public than I was with him for invading Iraq, which is a rather selfish way of looking at the world.” The reason for posting the article was for the last seven pararaphs....the 100% conviction of many of those who voted Remain that they were cheated of their rightful victory. The protests: the petitions: the blaming of people in the "wrong" age demographic: the indignation that people without higher qualifications could outvote those who have them. (In fact, the former just bothered to actually vote). The irony of this is that the charge to get 50% of the population into higher education (from about 4% 30 years ago) doesn't point to an increase in intelligence; it merely highlights that there are many well-educated, intelligent, older people who don't have, and didn’t need, degrees. I understand the disappointment of those who lost. My father felt cheated in a referendum too. In 1975 he was told that we were joining a Common Market; a trading organisation. His generation was reassured that this would not be, or lead to, a political union. The recently revealed letters by Heath showed what many already knew; the establishment lied to them. We had to wait 40 years for another referendum. Maybe that’s why these “selfish” oldies voted as they did. I can see many reasons why people would not want to leave the EU and I respect them. I also respect those who wanted to. We had a vote. We have a result. That’s what happens….sometimes it goes the way you didn’t want.
His point is quite obviously that they have turned what is a very sombre monument into a "cheap" tourist attraction and he is adopting a "loutish" stance of having to sneak off for a *** as that was a necessity. Point being he hasn't sneaked off for a *** and he doesn't think it is important at all to have a *** considering where he is and what it means. You are yet another that has failed to see what he is saying here. He is actually saying the exact opposite by portraying his actions as being what someone "undesirable" would do and this is his constant style in all his writings. He is making fun of what he "should be thinking and doing" if the stereotype of a Millwall supporting Comprehensive schooled working class that is constantly wheeled out by the new "liberal leftists was really representative" He is making fun of society that constantly says they must not label, must make sure social mobility improves, that fight against discrimination and fight for equality while all the time these same people are the worst at labelling to fight their argument, ensure that social mobility does not improve because it might hurt their lot and discriminate against the very stereotype that they proclaim are discriminating. Of course you have missed that, even though it is very obvious even in such a short example as you have written above.
I don't know about you, but if I went to Auschwitz and was disappointed by the large number of "No Smoking" signs, I think I could find a way to say it without mocking the holocaust. It seems like the decent thing to do. Instead of posting that and a ton of other racist crap to a Milwall message board as a response to someone who said they were quite moved by their visit. And then, when the posts were traced back to me, claim that I'd been hacked. And then when it was obvious no one was buying it, to claim that "Yeah, I okay I made some of those posts, but not the really offensive ones."
On Saturday, the Ministry of Education sent an order to school Principals in one district of Istanbul. ‘If teachers use social media to claim this coup is a theatre, send us their names and we will act accordingly.’ No wonder all the Turks who aren’t celebrating the victory of democracy in the streets are hunched inside, over their telephones, sending encrypted messages to one another about an inside job and a ‘false flag’ coup. http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2016/07/erdogans-islamist-mobs-know-moment-finally-arrived/
Amusing moment of getting the heart pumping.! It was just after closing the living room window and sliding back the vertical blinds. I'd popped into the kitchen and picked up the cup of tea I'd made and came back into the living room to do some Duo-lingo practice. All of a sudden I heard a whispered, but distinct... itchita... itchita... itchita... itchita. Then it stopped I leapt out of my seat to confront... nothing. Then I noticed the pull/push cord and handle of the vertical blinds was still just swinging perceptively against the steel bead line of the blind turner. The control that sets the angle to allow light in. It was this which made the noise. My heart immediately returned to its rest beat. That was fun. Sod the Duo-lingo until tomorrow. Think I'll watch a horror film.
I've read an article somewhere else and I think by someone else about being disgusted about the way it is treated as some tourist attraction but that is by the by. Poor subject to make a joke about I admit. Either way I don't think he was disappointed about the number of no smoking signs. That was just a target to use for his "laddish" projection.
