THis thread may not be allowed in the unwritten constitution of this association, however important things happen and totally unimportant matter also grabs attention daily. To get even more boring for you - not Caro - the cricket world cup has really non-riveting moments. NZ V Scotland has been for the last hour one such very long moment. From it though I learned that Dunedin can have glorious weather, that Scotland 12 for 4 when I gave up watching, perhaps ought not be there and that commentating can be a gruesome occupation when every minute to fill must seem like an hour. Anyway, here is a today thread if you want one.

Priscilla, I hate to admit this, but I do not understand your topic: what exactly do you wish us to discuss on this thread?

Do you want us to talk about things happening today that we believe will turn out to have been of huge significance, or do you want us to talk about things we are finding incredibly boring? Or both?

I am seriously worried that Res Historica will be tomorrow's history. Where is everyone? Have we been abandoned even by Our Nord? Are we all bored to death with one another? I had hopes of a bit of a spat between ID and Caro over decimate, but no, even that didn't develop.

We cannot even be bothered to argue about whether Richard III is Richard III any more. Now that is worrying.

Shall I start up about God again? That's always good for a laugh here. I could get you all going with discussion of Lent, Thomas à Kempis and pancakes.

Perhaps not. "Get you all going"  would probably prove to be the appropriate expression.

Oh well, Episode 5 to look forward to tomorrow.

Just a thread where people - well, you and I, can make remark about current affairs or whatever  in the news appeals  or otherwise. We may  well be historied out. A pity but possible. For new people to get beyond the filter of our collective attitude on the mores (Thomas and otherwise,) we stand for is pretty daunting.

I was only joking about Thomas à Thingy, P. I was being rueful.

Is Yanis Varoufakis indeed the coolest politician ever? Will find a picture of him in a minute. Want to post something about the rescue of Smokey now (for MM).


He makes George Osborne look such a wimp.

Were I twenty years younger, I would declare this man to be seriously sexy. What do you think, MM?



But coolness etc. apart, will he lead Greece and Europe into economic melt-down?

Still fighting in the Ukraine,

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-31495099




possibly the start of a new Cold War;

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-31496933

I suspect MM might appreciate Yanis as well..........

Shortlist of volunteers for Mars mission

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/space/11416615/Mars-One-mission-5-Britons-shortlisted-for-one-way-trip-to-Red-Planet.html

Gone right off him in that scarf (Burberry?? )...

Burberry, oh dear - bet it was a present from Gideon, he was known as 'Oink' at Oxford after all.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/greek-finance-minister-yanis-varoufakis-rocks-up-to-meet-george-osbourne-in-an-edgy-jacket-10018834.html

Looking like he was about to ask for your ID outside a nightclub, or perhaps ask if you were interested in buying some genuine Rolex watches, Varoufakis' informal style split opinion.

Apparently opinion is indeed divided: does he look like a cool rebel in his leather jacket - or Derek Trotter?

No, he looks like a guy who says he can't pay what he owes but another divi up would nice - or else.
Not that I fully undestand the Greek problem. I gather no one lies paying taxes at all there and corrupt others have done well.  It's leaking money to abroad now - can't they stop that? One feels for those who are blameless in all of this it was ever thus and the notion of honest democracy takes another pounding...... we tried to solve it over lunch but only ended up comparing it to all the other rotten situations world wide.

As for trying to get on a one way trip to Mars - I would thoroughly examine their policy on old age very closely.... that is assuming the cash will be found and another million problems are resolved. The shortage of protein comes to mind.

Priscilla wrote:

No, he looks like a guy who says he can't pay what he owes but another divi up would nice - or else.

Let's not forget that the UK has still not serviced its outstanding First World War debt to America. People living in glasshouses and all that.

P.S. Temp - not sure why one needs to be 'twenty years younger' in order to consider someone to be 'serious sexy'. One of the sexiest people I ever met was in her late eighties. Sexiness is an attitude - often it's in the eyes.

Vizzer, you are Wayne Rooney and I claim my five pounds

The archbishop appears to be getting very political. No mention of Jesus, empty churches nor the cost of his splendid robes and matching mitre- and embroidered borders are soooo today. Outside the food bank church in our area is always an awaiting line people - waiting until the fag is smoked, anyway. Yet I am certain that there are really poor people out there who suffer in private silence - the sort you would  like to help - but how?

I thought it was also a bit hypocritical of his Grace, the Most Reverend Archbish' to be criticising the government for being "undemocratic", when he and 25 other Lords Spiritual have permanent seats in the Upper House, completely unelected except by themselves, just by virtue of their holding well-paid jobs within the Church of England.

He should be careful what he wishes for ... a politicised church could be a bit of an own goal methinks.

If the Established Church starts dabbling in politics then people will start to demand that they become accountable, elected, and subject to external scrutiny ... and at least lose their tax-free charitable status for a start!. The populace as a whole may decide that they do not actually want an Established Church lording it over them - and what then happens to the supreme head of that church - the monarch? Indeed people may not want to be governed and lectured by, nor see preferential treatment or respect given to, any church or religion or sect. The majority of recent surveys show that most people in Britain are at best ambivalent about religion, if not actually prepared to declare themselves as agnostic/atheist/humanist ... and with a broad spread of all major denominations amongst the others that do claim to be religious. Quite frankly if he were to go to the polls under the Anglican-Religion banner, I doubt the Archbishop would even keep his own (safe?) seat.

But on the good side ... perhaps if the church insists on banging on about politics, the law, ethics etc ... and continuing to claim that it alone is the "sole guardian of morals" (like it seems so keen to do), then Britain might actually wake up, see the charade for what it is, and finally choose to become a modern secular state where religion has absolutely no official weight whatsoever.

Surely you mean "England" not Britain, MM. The Church in Wales was disestablished in 1920, and the Church of Scotland isn't part of the state as the Church of England is.

I will not venture into the waters of ecclesiastical affairs in Ulster.

Back to the cricket (NZ playing England as I write) and a little bit of history to go with it.  Our local newspaper had a picture explaining all the positions for the fielding side.  It suggested some of the history behind the words:  slip from an early description of the 'long stop' whad had to cover many slips from the bat, and dates back to the 1830s.  Gully is more modern and dated (according to wikipedia) to  1920 when it used by an England captain.  (I should be watching, not sitting here -wickets are falling.  Good.)  On and off, as I think is well-known, come from the side of horse and carriages that you get on and off.  And it does seem that 'silly' just means 'silly' from being too close. I found this slight unlikely and see at cricket terms here that it probably comes from an earlier meaning of silly 'defenceless'.

The 'Good' has been noted. Silly is as silly does -  still seems silly to me.

Pakistan made cricket  one day history - four out for one run last night. I take back all I said about Scotland. England plays them next and is probably nervous after some lousy results. Ireland is doing better. And NZ is doing very well. Only Caro will care a jot about this but most news was ever thus.

Vizzer wrote:

Priscilla wrote:

No, he looks like a guy who says he can't pay what he owes but another divi up would nice - or else.

Let's not forget that the UK has still not serviced its outstanding First World War debt to America. People living in glasshouses and all that.

P.S. Temp - not sure why one needs to be 'twenty years younger' in order to consider someone to be 'serious sexy'. One of the sexiest people I ever met was in her late eighties. Sexiness is an attitude - often it's in the eyes.

The UK has been servicing the debt all along (that is paying the due interest) - except for a 5-year moratorium which was allowed for in the original agreements. The Biscuit of the Exchequer announced in the Autumn Propaganda Bulletin that the debt would be paid off - only partly true, since the Misgovernment will do that by issuing new bonds (which it just happens will bear a lower rate of interest than the old ones. Purely coincidental, of course.)

Cor, Mr Straw says he gets £5000 for a speech. I never get anything. Must be tough to be a politician  and earn an honest penny. Hitler was paid by the party for each of his and his book was sort of compulsory - he had the royalties, otherwise he did not have a hand in the till. Churchill in old age was bailed out by friends when   he could no longer afford to maintain Chartwell. Political escort services seem to be the way  out these days.

But P, the poor souls can't make ends meet on their MP salaries.

The first head transplant could be only two years away;

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/11436319/Frankenstein-style-human-head-transplant-could-happen-in-two-years.html

All together now :-
"You can't put an old head on young shoulders"

What about 'Two heads are better then one?' Is that the progression here?

No - this is.

If you can keep your head when all about you


    Are losing theirs and blaming it on you, 


Or perhaps

The lunatic is in my head
You raise the blade, you make the change
You re-arrange me 'til I'm sane.
You lock the door
And throw away the key
There's someone in my head but it's not me.

To Caro - the res won't care. What a match - that will be one for rerun. Congrats to your team - tho it became touch and go. It is good to watch without favouring a team - one gets to appreciate the talent on both sides.

Yes, P, I don't know why my team has to invariably make such hard work of these games.  (Well, not quite invariably - did manage to beat England comfortably enough!)  Afghanistan and Scotland game was great fun to watch - oddly despite Scottish ancestry, I wanted Afghanistan to win right from the start.

BBC brings in Slow TV - from an idea used in Norway, it is mentioned. I am steering clear of any remark about that - well today, anyway. See ferv;s art post for further details. I like the idea - mainly because that's mostly the way of my life; looking at stuff, no music, no commentary, no intrusion. I hope they do one about sitting on a seawall just watching the tide come in on a blustery March day - bliss.

Jeremy Clarkson on the naughty stair again. But will he make History? Strong characters seem to be remembered for a fairly long time.

There have been something shown on Norwegian/German TV on a train trip lasting several hours, and seen from the drivers seat.

I watched far from all of it, but liked the nature scenes.

Like Temp, I still do not understand what you're asking here ... I did think that maybe this particular thread was to try and pick out those current news stories that might, in the future, become recognised as being particularly significant and noteworthy. To that end I would suggest the recent assassination of Boris Nemptov as possibly being highly significant.

But everyone else, the thread originator included, from the outset seem to be more interested in wittering on about cricket or Jeremy Clarkson, as if either of these topics were of the slightest importance. So what's this thread all about then eh? ... other than, as it seems to be, just another forum to rant on about the daily news, or indeed the Daily News?

Probably all of that,\MM. Daft things linger in memory = cricket for those with interest in it; slow TV is about to hit us and may catch on, And Clarkson - well I've just heard - surely misheard - that a million tweets support this guy. I've not known such a thing happen before re a  suspended TV personality. Someone will remember this silly situation in the future: I make that history. And it is the small detail that defines a moment in time - and enriches our hold on it. Just an opinion.

The Daily  Rant was really for a moan about anything - as the Daily  Rave was to note  the rarer delight in something.

But does it matter? At my age I have a different perspective perhaps on what matters in most things. We all trail assorted herrings across even the most serious threads. What would you have me do? Not start topics? So it's c+ for effort - again. I can live with that; nothing new,

Priscilla wrote:

Probably all of that,\MM. Daft things linger in memory = cricket for those with interest in it; slow TV is about to hit us and may catch on, And Clarkson - well I've just heard - surely misheard - that a million tweets support this guy. I've not known such a thing happen before re a  suspended TV personality. Someone will remember this silly situation in the future: I make that history. And it is the small detail that defines a moment in time - and enriches our hold on it. Just an opinion.

The Daily  Rant was really for a moan about anything - as the Daily  Rave was to note  the rarer delight in something.

But does it matter? At my age I have a different perspective perhaps on what matters in most things. We all trail assorted herrings across even the most serious threads. What would you have me do? Not start topics? So it's c+ for effort - again. I can live with that; nothing new,

for "ee" substitute "i" in the above.

Do you reckon that, if successful, the solar aircraft circumnavigation will go down as as significant as the Wright Bros?

Sorry P I was having a bit of a grump!

As to the solar aircraft being as significant as the Wright bros ... I don't think so. While it's pushing the technology, it's not really doing anything new. I consider it a bit of an expensive stunt and proving very little except that if you've got the cash it can be done. But it's certainly more laudable than trying get to get a car to do 1000mph IMHO.

We've all been a bit grumpy recently, haven't we? Must be the full Moon in Scorpio or something.

Yes, I agree the assassination in Russia could be very significant - for better or worse though, I'm not sure. I don't know much about Russian politics. But Putin is scary.

The Clarkson business is actually unleashing something very nasty here - a lot of resentment bubbling away about too many lefties and liberals at the BBC, political correctness and the dastardly suppression of a "British bloke's" right to say what he likes about foreigners, gays, women and other tiresome people. The British "bloke" has traditionally also had the right to punch people he falls out with: this tradition too has been sadly undermined in recent years.

The man's an idiot, but very, very popular. The mood could get ugly, which worries me with the election coming up.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2990777/RICHARD-LITTLEJOHN-white-male-damned-British-No-wonder-Beeb-wants-shot-Clarkson.html

And of course other news happening at the moment that will be remembered for many years to come is surely the wanton, calculated destruction of the remains of Nimrud and Hatra ... and also of sites in Syria, Libya, Afghanistan, Mali etc ....

It was agony seeing something of that destruction. Not a recent notion, this senseless behaviour has destroyed so much of Asia's  Buddhist past too. Those that do it seem to believe that they are stacking up brownie points in heaven - along with many other deeds of the sort that we chucked out with the Reformation. 

As for Clarkson - he can be very funny but like many jokers the lines of what is acceptable and what is insulting get blurred. His job is to evaluate things - cars and such - to apply crass and inappropriate imaging to people can hurt.  I know because I have done it - humour can wound. Sometimes it's meant to and that we must all guard against because as my mother would caution me, 'Stop that, it doesn't become you.: It really is not easy is it -   being a people? I hope the champions of Clarkson will reflect now on what they are doing. That these two subjects are in the news at the same time is  a worrying facet of our times.

The destruction of humankind's heritage is incredibly tragic ... all the more so as it is the very culture, history, one-ness, roots, personal heritage of the people supposedly being liberated, that is being wiped out.

As a very anti-religious atheist, who strongly believes in the ideals of the secular state, and who generally sees religion as "a bad thing" (or at best just unbelievebly stupid) ... I do have to keep reminding myself that this isn't all about religion (although there is considerable culpability there). This organised horror, like similar idealogical ones that have come before, is mostly about power: the wielding of power; the effect of power; the personal riches of power; the power to suppress, arbitrarily, huge sections of the community just because they are femail, young, disabled, outcaste, of a different culture, or generally just 'other'. In short it is the power of being able to manipulate unbridled power itself.

It has little in reality to do with serving the one true god, whichever that particular one might be, of anti-iconicsm, of being anti-schismatic, of wanting to create a global caliphate ... or indeed of wanting to spend eternity with 40 virgins (how boring, when you think that one through), or desiring to destroy the evil of the secular west (while still twittering/facebooking and otherwise using all the accoutrements of evil western/global civillisation). It is about power, just power  ... and power kept in the hands of just those very few in control. And they would appear to have truely sold their souls.

In short it is pure evil, regardless of however virtuous it tries to present itself.


Now, regarding Jeremy Clarkson ... well, do I really give a stuff?
(Athough he was genuinely witty, intelligent and not at all boorish on a recent edition of QI that I watched ..... which is more than I could say for some of the other guest "comediens").

I'm not usually one for conspiracy theories but I must wonder if Jessa is deliberately trying to get the BBC not to renew his contract so he can go off and join his good friends, neighbours and print employers in News Corp for super-mega bucks. If the concomitant loss of revenue to the BBC should seriously damage it and adversely affect the upcoming licence fee and charter negotiations, then I think he and his other good chum, 'Call me Dave', would not be at all displeased.

What is also frightening is the way his buffoon persona is seen by so many as a commendable example of a 'traditional' form of masculinity and a robust response to what they see as the feminisation and emasculation of society by trendy,lefty Guardianistas.
This incident might well be a bit of tomorrow's history today in foreshadowing the gradual death of public service broadcasting.

QI these days is just an extended knob joke. Pity, I used to enjoy it but I fear it has run its course.

It speaks so much of the power of art in all its forms that totalitarian regimes throughout history have so often destroyed all that does not accord with their particular little view.

Some uncertainty regarding Vladimir Putin;

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/vladimir-putin/11466318/Vladimir-Putin-delays-Kazakh-visit-but-no-health-problems-insists-Kremlin.html

Putin has backed city support to change the name of Volgograd back to Stalingrad as WW2 history is refreshed with pride in the great battle-siege. Maybe he also harbours nostalgia for Comrade Stalin too... mmm.

I suppose this won't become history in a global sense but it will locally in the Pacific.  The little archipelago of Vanuatu has been hit by one of the strongest cyclones to hit the Pacific, and the damage is immense.  With so many outer islands the death toll and damage can't be properly assessed yet.  We heard last Friday from a NZer who was shifting out of his house to a stronger motel; today we heard from him again - the motel unit was badly damaged and they had to flee to the next door one which then housed 12 people with one double bed and one single.  I don't suppose people were sleeping much.  Meantime his little house was barely damaged and the solar panels were intact, fortunate since there is no electricity where they live. NZ has pledged 2 and a half million dollars, but this presumably is just a start. 

The cyclone has now come to the east coast of NZ.  The category 5 storm was sending winds of 270kms to Vanuatu but I heard the weather forecasts up north talking of wind gusts of up to 130kms which is still pretty strong. Down south where I live we might get some rain and wind but not much. Not in the cyclone path. 

I spent a day in Vanuatu on a cruise once, and liked it - it is poor and infrastructure is primitive, but the people were very friendly (the kids waved to my bus whenever we went past them) and it just had a nice feel (though a very hot feel - I wondered why I seemed to be crying but realised it was just sweat pouring down my face.  My daughter-in-law spent a week on holiday there in 2000 and liked it too, but she was amazed at the lifestyle, with women doing their washing and bathing in rivers and streams. I seem to remember everything was both French and English (it is possibly I am misremembering that, and it was Noumea with this setup) so there was a French part of the school alongside an English one; similarly with hospitals and churches etc.

Caro - Vanuatu was jointly administered by France & Britain under the Condominum from 1906 to 1980, and both French and English remain official languages, so your memory is probably correct about Vanuatu. Think Noumea is split between French and Kanak linguistically.

Called the New Hebrides in Europe at first - or was it a Spanish name? How come it was an Anglo-French set up in the first place.

All that aside, I believe not only cyclones happen from time to time but earthquakes also. Must do some reading. How idyllic such places seem yet there is this awful down side. I hope they get enough aid  for a swift recovery. In my experience people with less to start with make a huge effort to help themselves and somehow pull through, being used to too many snakes and not enough ladders.

The two nations held different parts of the archipelago, and there were frequent calls on both sides for one to annex the other's islands. By 1906, both were relying on each other in case of a European war, so an amicable solution was required - hence the Condominium.

He's reappeared, (Putin that is, not Nordmann.............unless????)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-31904882

Ursa Magnifica ... His Enormity (pboh)  ... yes, t'was he, Caputa himself, he looked in here at 8:36 GMT this morning ...

... and growled!!!

Do try to keep up Trike  .... and all ye of so little faith ... I told ya he'd be back 'ere long!


Putin? ... the irony is that while he keeps on about fascists, nazis and foreign plots ... he is following, almost exactly to the letter, the same litany of annexation, terror, scape-goating, subterfuge, lies, bluff, bullying, and hyper-nationalism at home, that were all the hall-marks and stock-in-trade of Hitler in the 1930s.