"Researchers at Dundee University have found that eating dark chocolate can help prevent blood clots, which cause strokes and deep vein thrombosis (DVT). But the research is bad news for lovers of milk chocolate because the benefits are only contained in the dark variety."Story headline: "Eggheads find reason to look on dark side"
That Day This year's goodwill story. Easter eggs are good for you:
Sport Jaw drops history rewritten:
"Ben Johnson's manager says the sprinter will pursue legal action following the revelation Carl Lewis was allowed to compete at the 1988 Olympics despite testing positive for a banned substance.But would that mean Linford Christie would then win a gold medal for a race he ran fifteenish years ago?
Morris Chrobotek told an Australian newspaper that Lewis should have his medal taken away just like Ben, and he should come out and say what really happened.
Music Now Albums have only recently been introduced in the US, but for British children of the 1980s they were a cost effective way of getting decent recordings to replace the taped off the radio copies of popular chart tracks. I'm awash with nostalgia as I glance through TV Cream's survey of the first twenty; come on, surely you remember Men Without Hats and Fiction Factory?
War So the 'situation' has dropped like a stone from the news agenda; the embeds are coming home and it's all over literally bar the shouting. I was firmly against the war, and it does appear to have been a case of trying to get the job done as quickly as possible, no matter the sweat or casualties. It used to be there would be months or years of conflict. Now everything can be finished quicker than a film shoot. But unlike a movie, there is no moral. But as John Simpson says in the summing up page for the BBC Reporters blog:
"Everywhere you go in Iraq, people are increasingly saying the same thing: they are happy that Saddam is gone but they do not want American or British soldiers in their country."Are we suddenly not able to let the country we liberated take care of itself?
Software I'm discovery the joys of Real One, or rather I'm trying out the Real player as my primary media software. So far, so good. The playlist section seems as flexible as iPod (or a close enough aproximation) and magically it can handle Apple .mov files and unlike their bit can actually play them full screen (not too much to ask surely). Being able to have everything on the disc by a particular artist or in a genre feels like magic to me. I do wish it had an auto update feature. Perhaps it does. Perhaps I've missed it. Do let me know.
[That post seems a bit clunky to me. It's been a few weeks since I've written anything here so I must be out of practice ...]
[That post seems a bit clunky to me. It's been a few weeks since I've written anything here so I must be out of practice ...]
Life I had planned to post at length today, but between the buttery hot cross buns and trying to get this other thing finished time just slipped away. If you really are starved for company you could look at this prize winning review (what again?) of the new comic book 'Miranda' at The Collective ...
Film Don't believe the rumours. Tobey Maguire is back for Spiderman 2 (at a cost of $17 million apparently). Here are the not so exciting photos to prove it. And the eye witness reports.
Photography I know it isn't much after an almost absense of almost a week, but ... Moby does The Mirror Project.
Film Don't believe the rumours. Tobey Maguire is back for Spiderman 2 (at a cost of $17 million apparently). Here are the not so exciting photos to prove it. And the eye witness reports.
Photography I know it isn't much after an almost absense of almost a week, but ... Moby does The Mirror Project.
Life I am still about, but I'm working on another project which I'm trying to get completed before a deadline which is looming large on the horizon. I will recommend that next time someone tells you that you need to eat five pieces of fruit in a day it really isn't something to be attempted in one sitting. I was fine after the two apples, and the plum went down well, but I could only bare half a pear and the banana pretty much finished me off ... regular movements will begin again shortly ...
Life Might I direct you too...
Anna is posting again after her maternity break and is still breaking my heart.
Caro is being very educational and making me nostaligic for conversation I've had in the past.
Vicky offers some very good rule for anyone at thinking about going to the cinema when they have a fever.
On This Day we were helping Iraq with their weapons programme but it was Brixton not Baghdad ablaze.
John's discovered Pitch Black. I too shudder when I hear the writer of the 'Lost in Space' film is working on the sequels.
The Couch Kamote considers The Six Million Dollar Man.
I didn't know Jason Mewes was in a bad way.
The Guardian's new columnist Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf considers the congestion charge: "Do not fear the wrath of the infidel Livingstone. He is already in hell. Scorpions sting his eyeballs. Trust me on this."
Anna is posting again after her maternity break and is still breaking my heart.
Caro is being very educational and making me nostaligic for conversation I've had in the past.
Vicky offers some very good rule for anyone at thinking about going to the cinema when they have a fever.
On This Day we were helping Iraq with their weapons programme but it was Brixton not Baghdad ablaze.
John's discovered Pitch Black. I too shudder when I hear the writer of the 'Lost in Space' film is working on the sequels.
The Couch Kamote considers The Six Million Dollar Man.
I didn't know Jason Mewes was in a bad way.
The Guardian's new columnist Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf considers the congestion charge: "Do not fear the wrath of the infidel Livingstone. He is already in hell. Scorpions sting his eyeballs. Trust me on this."
Film Post September 11th films about New York suddenly became even more of a fantasy. Watching ‘Serendipity’ or ‘Spiderman’ or ‘Kissing Jessica Stein’ you really were being transported to a place outside reality. The reasons were clear – it wasn’t possible to allow the horror to enter those films (as the creators of ‘Stein’ remark on the DVD, their film wasn’t about that). But film after film would come out about New York and each one would pass without addressing that thing which was on everyone’s mind, whenever the twin towers appeared or didn’t. When was someone actually going to talk about the things I’m thinking about when I see Central Park now?
With this in mind, you can see why Spike Lee, when preparing ‘25th Hour’ decided that he had to address them. Be careful, though. This isn’t a film expressly about 9/11. It mentions it and the aftermath appears; but it’s there in a way you would suspect it is for most anyone not directly involved on the day – in the atmosphere but not actually address those lives directly. So we see characters in bars were lost firemen no longer pull up their barstools, and visit an apartment which overlooks ground zero; and a makeshift dealing room at a brokers. But the characters don’t actually talk about it; there isn’t the scene were they sit down and ask each other what they were doing on the day. By doing all of this Lee improves his film by giving a sheen at least of the real world. For once this is a New York we can recognize (something Lee has always been able to produce).
Or that’s the theory. But it’s also to some extent baggage in a film about something entirely different. Monty is a convicted drug dealer and this is the last day in the outside before a seven year sentence in jail. During the day he confronts all of the issues and decisions which led up to being caught and has come to terms with how is going to survive on the inside; his friend Francis feels guilt for not saving his friend from the gates of hell; Jacob is a teacher with the hots for his student, who looks on Jacob jealously.
Lee tells this stories using a series of contrasting styles. For much of the time I found myself saying “That’s a bit like this film” or “that film”. It lurches from The Sopranoes to a Whit Stillman film to ‘Office Space’ to Mike Hodges. In other films this would be uncomfortable and difficult, but here there is such a flair to the direction, David Benioff’s writing (adapting his own book) and the performances (Rosario Dawson is luminous; Anna Paquin gets to play ditzy for a change; Philip Seymour Hoffman adds another great loser to his list; where the hell did Barry Pepper come from?) It’s almost as though we’re seeing a mix of cinematic cultures to mirror the cosmopolitan nature of New York.
It’s a surprisingly entertaining and funny film; comedy and tragedy mixed to perfection. For once it’s a Edward Norton film its OK to like (that isn’t ‘Fight Club’). And weirdly it doesn’t feel like a Spike Lee ‘joint’. I’ll leave it to the viewer to decide whether that’s a good thing or not.
With this in mind, you can see why Spike Lee, when preparing ‘25th Hour’ decided that he had to address them. Be careful, though. This isn’t a film expressly about 9/11. It mentions it and the aftermath appears; but it’s there in a way you would suspect it is for most anyone not directly involved on the day – in the atmosphere but not actually address those lives directly. So we see characters in bars were lost firemen no longer pull up their barstools, and visit an apartment which overlooks ground zero; and a makeshift dealing room at a brokers. But the characters don’t actually talk about it; there isn’t the scene were they sit down and ask each other what they were doing on the day. By doing all of this Lee improves his film by giving a sheen at least of the real world. For once this is a New York we can recognize (something Lee has always been able to produce).
Or that’s the theory. But it’s also to some extent baggage in a film about something entirely different. Monty is a convicted drug dealer and this is the last day in the outside before a seven year sentence in jail. During the day he confronts all of the issues and decisions which led up to being caught and has come to terms with how is going to survive on the inside; his friend Francis feels guilt for not saving his friend from the gates of hell; Jacob is a teacher with the hots for his student, who looks on Jacob jealously.
Lee tells this stories using a series of contrasting styles. For much of the time I found myself saying “That’s a bit like this film” or “that film”. It lurches from The Sopranoes to a Whit Stillman film to ‘Office Space’ to Mike Hodges. In other films this would be uncomfortable and difficult, but here there is such a flair to the direction, David Benioff’s writing (adapting his own book) and the performances (Rosario Dawson is luminous; Anna Paquin gets to play ditzy for a change; Philip Seymour Hoffman adds another great loser to his list; where the hell did Barry Pepper come from?) It’s almost as though we’re seeing a mix of cinematic cultures to mirror the cosmopolitan nature of New York.
It’s a surprisingly entertaining and funny film; comedy and tragedy mixed to perfection. For once it’s a Edward Norton film its OK to like (that isn’t ‘Fight Club’). And weirdly it doesn’t feel like a Spike Lee ‘joint’. I’ll leave it to the viewer to decide whether that’s a good thing or not.
Blog! But before you go you should really read this from Accordian Guy. His blog saved his life. [via boingx2]
Life Over the past week or so people around me have been complaining about a kind of flu which isn't flu but has many of the symptoms and leaves them in a state of blah. Feeling listless, I guess. Well, it looks like it got me too. So although I'd love to stay and chat I think I'm just going to go to bed and listen to Tom Clancy slag off all film makers in the audio commentary to 'The Sum of All Fears', snug and warm. Messages of simpathy of course welcome through my new commenting system. And I would also draw your attention to my guestbook and maps were some fictional Duncan Goodhew seems to be April fooling six days after the fact ...
War Reporting A US bomb hits convoy of US Special Forces and Kurdish fighters, killing many. These 'friendly fire' attacks are increasing. John Simpson (of all people) was there and gave a report not long afterwards. "I thought you were going to stop me. I think I've just got a bit of shrapnel in the leg, that's all. OK, I will - thanks a lot." Ironically, the library photo is from the time John liberated Kabal in Afghanistan ... [which you can watch here if you've got real one] Yes, I have changed this post, because it really isn't funny when people die.
Books Currently watching 'The Big Read' and nominating. Simply because it would be boring to pick the same as everyone else and something everyone else will have read, I've picked 'Father Time' by Lance Parkin. In the notes box there I wrote: "It's a cut above the usual tie-in novels, creating a realistic portrayal of 80s Britain within a very specific science fiction setting evoking nostalgia in the reader not just for the television programme but the time when they were watching it. Also an interesting us of a Phil Collins song." I would have added that it also shows that real literature can exist in place usually ignored by the mainstream. If I'd wanted to be the same as everyone else I might have picked 'Return of the Native' by Thomas Hardy; 'The Wind in the Willows' by Kenneth Graham; 'The Midnight Folk' by John Masefield. Despite being called 'The Big Read', non-fiction has been discounted. So I'm not allowed to pick 'Longitude' by Dava Sobel, 'With Nails' by Richard E Grant, 'Adventures in the Screen Trade' by William Goldman or 'The Victorian Internet' by Tom Standage.
Blog! [NB: I'm a Liberal Democrat. You'll see why I'm telling you this in a moment] "Nobody ever seems to do anything for The Kids! All the decisions are made by suits, man. That's so lame!!! We know you think of yourselves as responsible citizens, but what you wanna do is turn that thought into an action, dudes." Reads the second paragraph of Labour MP Tom Watson's 'Teens!' page at his website. I'm on the fence about this one. Either this is the worst example of trying to be in with the yoof since David Owen released that single which ultimately failed to convince no one to vote for the SDP/Liberal Alliance, or Tom knows he can't win either way so has attempted to parody the way MPs would presumably try and talk to kids in an ironic way as a way to get in with them. Whatever it's the most excruciating thing I've read all day (and that includes The Guardian's G2 supplement about Charles Saachi (what were they thinking?)). Lost in the scrum to link this (I've spotted it on Boing Boing and Sore Eyes) is that a week ago Tom began to write his weblog himself which seems like the first time for any politician (in this country at least). He's already broken my first rule of blogging (1: don't talk about your job too much) but I suppose it would be difficult not to. Now if Charles Kennedy ever does something like this, I'm there ...
Who In case anyone is interested, a flash trailer is up at BBCi for the new version of Douglas Adams' lost Doctor Who story Shada reduxed to feature the current incarnation Paul McGann. Not much there, and nothing new for anyone who saw the charity video release with Tom Baker filling in the bits which were missing. If you can watch it in this much crisper broadband version which still works quite well over dial-up. I'm hoping they'll be using this flash format for the actual broadcast -- it much more watchable than the Real One format they've used in the past.
While I'm getting my monthly Who post out of the way, I should draw your attention to the Action Figure Theatre, a slightly strange, slightly genius use of posable figurines to create new photostories in the style of 'The Collector' from the new Eagle comic which was cancelled years ago. A sort of deadly serious (?) version of the kind of thing Adam & Joe were doing with Star Wars toys all those years ago.
While I'm getting my monthly Who post out of the way, I should draw your attention to the Action Figure Theatre, a slightly strange, slightly genius use of posable figurines to create new photostories in the style of 'The Collector' from the new Eagle comic which was cancelled years ago. A sort of deadly serious (?) version of the kind of thing Adam & Joe were doing with Star Wars toys all those years ago.
Life Why do people feel the need to wear a coat at the first sign of a drop in temperature? Before I left this morning I stepped on the balcony in my jeans and t-shirt and it wasn't that cold; a slight nip on the skin but not freezing. So I went out as I was. As I clambered onto the bus, I got few looks of disdain from people in heavy winter coats, sweating visibly. When I got to work, someone asked me if I'd just on out in a t-shirt and that I was 'mad'. If I'm particularly tollerant of the cold so why should I wear something which'll just make me deeply uncomfortable just because society wants me to?
Plug! On a similar subject, 'Me Old Chimney Productions' version of Macbeth (gushed about here) will be pitching up at the National Student Drama Festival in Scarborough. Performances are on Wednesday, 9th of April, 8.30pm and Thursday 10th of April, 9pm at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Westborough, Scarborough YO11 1JW. Ticket information can be found at the NSDF website. Flatteringly they're using the review on a press release, which I don't mind at all because it's very, very good (the play I mean).
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