Messages

It's lonely thinking that Phantom Menace is best of the prequels (bad bunch).

What I've always liked about it, and I perdiodically say this in its defence, is that the baddy gets exactly what he wants and the heroes are completely oblivious to it. I just love that.

Apart from that, though, it's only got a few action scenes going for it. In terms of spectacle, I prefer Clones.

I suppose I still rate Empire as the best. The new films have actually improved it for me, since they only serve to highlight how utterly bonkers Yoda has gone while living alone on Dagobah, and that puppets can sometimes be superior to CGI.

Regards

Robin

While rummaging on YouTube for Adrian Edmondson's Bad Shepherds I found this beauty:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcZrnMDOEs8&feature=related

Regards

Robin

The Fabric of Sin by Phil Rickman
A Very Short Introduction to Logic (one of the huge and excellent V. Short Intro range)
Glorantha: The Second Age (a roleplaying book, all setting, no rules as such)

Regards

Robin

yeah he was resposible for Enterprise wasn't he, the only Trek i haven't watched (and have heard is all rather atrociouse)

You won't have heard that from me! (And given the recent movie, it's the only one of the TV series that actually remains part of the continuity, which amuses me no end.)

Regards

Robin

Yes and no - the final episode of Enterprise established the whole thing not as future-history but as an interactive videogame based on historical figures from TNG's version of history -

Funnily enough, I've used that very excuse to dismiss the final episode, which I really dislike, but I don't think you can use it to go so far as to dismiss the rest of the series.

I think it would be nice if we could at least have at least something left of the original Star Trek continuity.


Regards

Robin

yeah he was resposible for Enterprise wasn't he, the only Trek i haven't watched (and have heard is all rather atrociouse)

You won't have heard that from me! (And given the recent movie, it's the only one of the TV series that actually remains part of the continuity, which amuses me no end.)

Regards

Robin

Blimely, I don't know how I managed to miss this thread!

Just a couple of thoughts...

I think Brit-Cit would actually cover a larger area - no evidence to support this, just gut feeling.

I also think Murphyville would actually cover most of the island, or at least run down the western coast. According to the story, it suffered excessive radiation and minor physical damage, but I think logically this would have been mostly down the eastern coast since Britain would have been the actual target. However, the story also says the island was reclaimed by 2095.

Regards

Robin

Glad to see the back of the essentially pointless ID cards, but I have less of a problem with CCTV. I don't actually find it at all intrusive, but its value was brought home to me a few years ago when a serial rapist was caught because it was noticed that the same car kept appearing in the areas around where that attacks took place. The rapist had been using his girlfriend's car, so once the police had the car linked to the areas and times they just followed the trail.

Also, it can help alert police, fire and ambulance services to problems before a 999 call is made, if such a call is made at all.

Regards

Robin

Lord, if that's an improvement then I dread to imagine what the previous volumes looked like.

Gaping white space.

Pictures that are badly in need of a bordering device to the soften the edge.

Each page is barely half-filled with text (and it's about 75% padding in the Jonni Kiss entry).

This is shockingly amateurish.

Regards

Robin

I don't think there's any word in any language remotely suitable to describe that.

Regards

Robin

I'm trying to avoid a situation where some only go to university and some only do a National Service

What you'd do is make university and national service totally independent of one another. You'd still have to do the same as everybody else, but it would be negotiable whether you did it before or after university. It could be a great social leveller. Especially if it slowed down the career progression of toffs whose connections get them a top gig with a newspaper, a merchant bank or the civil service straight out of university.

I'd thought about that approach, but there's a risk with having a break between school and university, or a break between university and degree-relevant career, that you lose skills and knowledge. In science or technology-based degrees or jobs, I think that's significant.

I wouldn't want university to be seen as a way to get out of Public Service (perhaps a better term than National Service?), though. Your approach may be better, but possibly creates some other issues.

To be honest, through, I think there are bigger problems in terms of finding a place in the public sector for every school leaver. That'll be the real challenge here.


Regards

Robin

I'm practically a Trot, but even I can see how that plan would stifle enterprise. Also, I think it's very easy to over-estimate the public sector's demand for high achieving graduates in non-technical occupations. There's a lot of Continuous Professional Development for school leavers to work their way up in government jobs, whereas it's seen as an affront to common sense when a graduate expects on-the-job training because they don't already know the ins and outs of an organization they're completely new to.

That's fine - I certainly didn't expect to be able chuck a lot of stuff onto the screen and have it work perfectly. But you get the broad principles, I'm sure. Now, how do we make it work?

Broadly speaking, we have too many people going to university, a number of whom are just there to avoid work or get drunk - we need to trim the fat. If we introduce this concept of National Service, some people will try to delay it by going to university, but we don't want them thinking they're going to get out of making some sort of practical contribution to society. I'm trying to avoid a situation where some only go to university and some only do a National Service - I want to avoid an us-and-them situation developing, and create a common work and service ethic.

Seriously, ideas? I'm genuinely trying to do something practical, even if only as a mental exercise for us here.

Regards

Robin

Sorry, this is a tad lupine...

I'm curious to know what 'some sort of job is'. I mean, would you want to employ the genuinely workshy?

I suspect the only way to really deal with this problem is to restore a sense of shame in unemployment and pride in a job well done, but god knows how you do that.

I agree with your last bit Robin but rather then just keep going the way we are going something needs to be done. It's a work ethic thing, generations have seen their parents live a cushy life on benefits so why should their children bother when mugginns here will pay for it 

I think you're right about the generation/work ethic thing, but I'm inclined to blame the 80s Conservatives for creating that generation. For example, closing down the mines may well have been an economic necessity, but as far as I remember they made no effort at all to help set-up and develop new industries. They Conservatives put a good part of a generation on the dole, and their children followed.

Sure, that's a gross simplification, and these things never are simple, but I think there's an essential truth there. I don't think that the Conservatives have ever acknowledged that they had a hand creating this situation, and I think their failure to it recognise doesn't bode well for attempts to fix it.

As for the jobs, lets get them cleaning the country up and if they don't like it, cut their benefits. Also these jobs would be paid a living wage.

I go back to the points I made back thread when you raised this before: how are you going to organise and fund this? It's gonna cost to make it work properly.

Cutting benefits always sounds tempting, and superficially it's hard to see what's wrong with the idea. However, there are always going to be knock-on effects: increased crime, increased domestic violence, more children in poverty and taken into care, more people ending up on the streets, and so.

I'm not advocating throwing our hands up in the air and crying there's nothing to be done, but we have to remember that actions are going to have consequences beyond those we want or we expect.

The politicians, on all sides, spout the things we want to hear, but do the things they believe in ideologically, rarely thinking about the negative consequences and never accepting it when they fuck up. Essentially, I'm just saying be cautious when you hear the things you want to hear, because it won't necessarily work out for the best, for you or the country.



For what it's worth, while I've never been a fan of the idea of military National Service, I'm increasingly interested in a broader concept of National Service. We need to change people's lives and attitudes to work, so we get them into work as soon as they leave school - there's no thinking about looking for work, three years public service becomes a part of life like going to school. We have a huge public sector, so we use it. There are plenty of different sorts of jobs for all sorts of ability - however it does require a complete separation of public sector and private sector, except where the public is making money out of the private.

I don't think we can just take people off the dole now and shove them into hospitals or the services - this has to be something that happens to a new generation, so that it seems natural, expected.

University, well, I'm a smart-arse with three degrees, but I think there are far too-many people going to university right now who simply shouldn't be there. Sorry, we need the smart  and creative ones going there, the ones who are going to contribute to the country's science and technology and, yes, the arts too, because there has to be something outside work. You can apply to university and if you get in fine. However, after you get your degree you have a choice: pay for your degree yourself and you're free to go into the private sector; go into the public sector for three years after it and the state pays for it. You can put off the inevitable with higher degrees. If you're good and industry snaps you up then, maybe they'll pay off the degree for you.

Cost, well I imagine that will be fucking enormous, the administration a nightmare, and it won't be easy. Undoubtedly there will be all the negative consequences I haven't thought of. However, off the top of my head I can't think of another way to restore the idea of a normal working life for all people, create involvement and understanding of the public services, and benefit the country as a whole.


Regards

Robin

Anyway, it looks like our new leaders have many interesting ideas, my favourite is to get the workshy into some sort of job.

I seem to recall they had that policy throughout the 80s and 90s. Oddly enough, nothing came of it.

I'm curious to know what 'some sort of job is'. I mean, would you want to employ the genuinely workshy?

I suspect the only way to really deal with this problem is to restore a sense of shame in unemployment and pride in a job well done, but god knows how you do that.

Regards

Robin

Tim Burton's version failed miserably, hardly the safe option.

Wasn't a good film, but as far as I can tell, it made money. Came by this from wikipedia, so usual pinch of salt applies:

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/genres/chart/?id=scifiremake.htm

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?view2=releasedate&view=opening&yr=2001&p=.htm

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?view2=worldwide&yr=2001&p=.htm


Regards

Robin

What do you suggest should have been done to save this whopping amount?

Correctly identify and find the cause of the problem

Dig a very large hole out in the middle of nowhere.No particular location as any will do providing it fits the criteria.

Place the cause of the problem into the above hole.

Add generous amounts of Quicklime

Fill the hole up again with the soil you excavated from it and level it off.

Then forget about it.

An elegantly and precisely phrased post, and rather amusingly tempting, if unpractical. Just need to correctly identify the cause or causes now.

Regards

Robin