Wouldn't Clarke more likely be enobled as part of the dissolution honours not the new year ones?
Which of course is at risk because such honours would traditionally include the speaker and hence there may not be one this time which would discriminate against Clarke and others.
Ken deserves a peerage, I am pretty sure one will be forthcoming in due course. His presence in the Lords will be an aid to their work, I disagree with him on the EU but agree wholeheartedly with him on pretty much everything else.
Bercow deserves nothing until we reach a firm conclusion to the bullying allegations against him personally and the organisation he led.
Well, that was better than The Last Jedi. And I think probably better than The Force Awakens.
But it was no Empire Strikes Back.
Well it was the final one so hopefully we can have non Star Wars movies to talk about next Christmas
It's not going to be the last one. Though Solos failure may mean they are more cautious in side stuff
This is the last one of the series and having done the main series, the prequels and now the sequels there is little further they can go with it. Star Wars has now ended bar repeats
As the Mandalorian will show when it eventually arrives there is plenty of stories and enjoyment left in the Star Wars Universe.
Mr. 1000, are they going ahead with hormone treatments?
I'm wary of that, on children, because (I believe) it sterilises them.
They are not. They are hoping that puberty "resets" their children back to their birth sex. But they are going to be led by their child. They've stopped trying to force him/her to be something they're not.
Is there any hard science on this? Are there any reasonably-objective testing protocols that can distinguish between the genuinely trans and the merely disturbed?
I think the parents are simply following the maxim "first, do no harm".
Not arguing with their approach in the slightest; it must be very difficult for them. There but for the grace of God go all of us with small children.
I'm just acutely conscious that most of us (certainly me, anyway) come at this from a position of relative ignorance, and I was wondering whether any of the surprisingly-widely learned PB.com readership know of any kind of definitive studies on this area they could point towards.
There are not, as far as I’m aware. (And “disturbed” is not a medical term.)
Is there a reason we should be more convinced about anthropogenic global warming than we were say 10 years ago? I have not been keeping up with the science, so I haven't heard anything new. It appears to me more like the volume (literally in many cases) of the alarmism and condemnation of 'deniers' has been raised and people have got into line accordingly.
For the the record, I believe in conserving fossil fuels, and in using beneficial forms of renewable energy, and in preserving our beautiful planet for future generations. But I also disapprove of unthinking puritanism and diminishing personal freedom.
When I was at university between 2005-08, we were told then that the point of no return was approaching. So I always smile when I hear similar things being said now.
I'm against exaggeration, but it's only 11 years you're smiling about so not long really. Nobody knows exactly when a point of no return will be reached, but positive feedback loops do exist and if we get into one that may well wipe the smile off your children or grandchildren's faces. In any case offshore wind is cheaper than coal now and gas won't be far behind. Why not make the changes for reasons of clean air if nothing else.
Okay, I'll be more specific. They were thinking that unless there was a major change by 2010-12, we were done for. Obviously the point of no return is not the point at which the apocalypse happens.
Like others on here I think we should be changing our behaviour anyway. Funnily enough I think we will have a mahoosive global recession, which will help in this regard. Quite how the XR lot will react to that I don't know.
R4 (guest editor Ms G Thunberg) gave the bloke from Shell an almighty bollocking this morning as he tried to point out the rate at which conversion to non fossil fuels would have to take place for the Shell not to sell gas any more (decades for gas boilers).
Well, that was better than The Last Jedi. And I think probably better than The Force Awakens.
But it was no Empire Strikes Back.
Well it was the final one so hopefully we can have non Star Wars movies to talk about next Christmas
It's not going to be the last one. Though Solos failure may mean they are more cautious in side stuff
This is the last one of the series and having done the main series, the prequels and now the sequels there is little further they can go with it. Star Wars has now ended bar repeats
Oh, you sweet, sweet innocent child you. There are three more upcoming main movies with release dates on December 16, 2022, December 20, 2024 and December 18, 2026. There may be three other movies under Rian Johnson (spit). There's the Mandalorian on Disney Plus. There's the upcoming Kenobi TV series, also on Disney Plus. There's Kevin Feige's proposed film(s).
It's a billion dollar franchise and they've just opened a (bit of a) theme park. They won't let it go until you kill them with a brick.
Mr. HYUFD, the best new trilogy idea would be one that featured Grand Admiral Thrawn returning from the Outer Rim with his battered but intact task force, only to find he's got some rebels to crush.
[This is expanded universe stuff, doesn't feature in the main franchise, although I've not seen the Mandalorian or Rebels, so could be in there].
Fine but stick to TV series, as Martin Scorsese rightly said recently far too much cinema and far too many films at the moment involve superheroes (and for that you can include Star Wars and Skywalker) crowding out original material. It was no surprise by far the best film out over the last month, Knives Out, has nothing to do with Superheroes or Star Wars
Wouldn't Clarke more likely be enobled as part of the dissolution honours not the new year ones?
Which of course is at risk because such honours would traditionally include the speaker and hence there may not be one this time which would discriminate against Clarke and others.
I think that's right.
There seems to have been an enormous amount of misinformed comment about this - eg LBC went on for hours about Bercow not getting a Peerage in the New Years Honours List.
In fact, NOBODY got a Peerage in the New Years Honours list - Peerages (and there will surely be some) will be announced in the Dissolution Honours List.
Morgan and Goldsmith were announced individually as they were needed straight away.
From the CPS news page... ...Alison dedicated over 30 years to public service and is noted for her commitment to law and order. She was appointed as DPP in 2013, the first lawyer from within the CPS to hold the position, and led the CPS during one of its most challenging periods. She is to be commended for her work during and after the London Riots and on the retrial and conviction of the killers of Stephen Lawrence, among many other achievements.
Yeah that's another one of the list I take issue with. She was rewarded for years of service. Penalising individual errors might discourage good candidates in future.
The problem is the handing out of awards for people who have merely done their job. They should be reserved for excellence and achievement.
Give an award to the official who cut his department’s spending significantly, while maintaining service levels, through the enhanced use of technology. Give an award to the first person to champion something that later became best practice everywhere, etc etc.
From the CPS news page... ...Alison dedicated over 30 years to public service and is noted for her commitment to law and order. She was appointed as DPP in 2013, the first lawyer from within the CPS to hold the position, and led the CPS during one of its most challenging periods. She is to be commended for her work during and after the London Riots and on the retrial and conviction of the killers of Stephen Lawrence, among many other achievements.
Yeah that's another one of the list I take issue with. She was rewarded for years of service. Penalising individual errors might discourage good candidates in future.
Why should someone be rewarded for years of service? That is what an income and a pension are for.
Not getting an honour is not being penalised in any sense whatsoever. Not unless you have some hideous sense of entitlement. Honours should be for exceptional behaviour. Saunders’ time as head of the CPS was in no sense exceptional.
Cummings is correct here - better to give Manchester University and others cash beefing up their research departments rather than try and create something new.
Well, that was better than The Last Jedi. And I think probably better than The Force Awakens.
But it was no Empire Strikes Back.
Well it was the final one so hopefully we can have non Star Wars movies to talk about next Christmas
It's not going to be the last one. Though Solos failure may mean they are more cautious in side stuff
This is the last one of the series and having done the main series, the prequels and now the sequels there is little further they can go with it. Star Wars has now ended bar repeats
Oh, you sweet, sweet innocent child you. There are three more upcoming main movies with release dates on December 16, 2022, December 20, 2024 and December 18, 2026. There may be three other movies under Rian Johnson (spit). There's the Mandalorian on Disney Plus. There's the upcoming Kenobi TV series, also on Disney Plus. There's Kevin Feige's proposed film(s).
It's a billion dollar franchise and they've just opened a (bit of a) theme park. They won't let it go until you kill them with a brick.
Wouldn't Clarke more likely be enobled as part of the dissolution honours not the new year ones?
Which of course is at risk because such honours would traditionally include the speaker and hence there may not be one this time which would discriminate against Clarke and others.
I think that's right.
There seems to have been an enormous amount of misinformed comment about this - eg LBC went on for hours about Bercow not getting a Peerage in the New Years Honours List.
In fact, NOBODY got a Peerage in the New Years Honours list - Peerages (and there will surely be some) will be announced in the Dissolution Honours List.
Morgan and Goldsmith were announced individually as they were needed straight away.
Clarke may think the same of peerages as Heath, Major and Brown did and Brown didn't accept a knighthood either.
From the CPS news page... ...Alison dedicated over 30 years to public service and is noted for her commitment to law and order. She was appointed as DPP in 2013, the first lawyer from within the CPS to hold the position, and led the CPS during one of its most challenging periods. She is to be commended for her work during and after the London Riots and on the retrial and conviction of the killers of Stephen Lawrence, among many other achievements.
Yeah that's another one of the list I take issue with. She was rewarded for years of service. Penalising individual errors might discourage good candidates in future.
Why should someone be rewarded for years of service? That is what an income and a pension are for.
Not getting an honour is not being penalised in any sense whatsoever. Not unless you have some hideous sense of entitlement. Honours should be for exceptional behaviour. Saunders’ time as head of the CPS was in no sense exceptional.
Mr. HYUFD, the best new trilogy idea would be one that featured Grand Admiral Thrawn returning from the Outer Rim with his battered but intact task force, only to find he's got some rebels to crush.
[This is expanded universe stuff, doesn't feature in the main franchise, although I've not seen the Mandalorian or Rebels, so could be in there].
Fine but stick to TV series, as Martin Scorsese rightly said recently far too much cinema and far too many films at the moment involve superheroes (and for that you can include Star Wars and Skywalker) crowding out original material. It was no surprise by far the best film out over the last month, Knives Out, has nothing to do with Superheroes or Star Wars
Knives Out, whilst fun, stole without shame from the school of Marple/Poirot. Hardly "original material".....
Well, that was better than The Last Jedi. And I think probably better than The Force Awakens.
But it was no Empire Strikes Back.
Well it was the final one so hopefully we can have non Star Wars movies to talk about next Christmas
It's not going to be the last one. Though Solos failure may mean they are more cautious in side stuff
This is the last one of the series and having done the main series, the prequels and now the sequels there is little further they can go with it. Star Wars has now ended bar repeats
Oh, you sweet, sweet innocent child you. There are three more upcoming main movies with release dates on December 16, 2022, December 20, 2024 and December 18, 2026. There may be three other movies under Rian Johnson (spit). There's the Mandalorian on Disney Plus. There's the upcoming Kenobi TV series, also on Disney Plus. There's Kevin Feige's proposed film(s).
It's a billion dollar franchise and they've just opened a (bit of a) theme park. They won't let it go until you kill them with a brick.
Those 3 films are not confirmed, the 3 Games of Thrones producers involved have walked away...
...to the relief of everybody concerned...
Few things are confirmed. It isn't confirmed that the Conservatives will win the next election. But you don't get Kevin Feige and Jon Favreau in unless you're serious, you don't open Star Wars: Galaxy Edge unless you're serious, you don't bring Ewan McGregor back unless you're serious. And, given that SW:ROS will probably break a billion worldwide despite being excoriated, one may assume they are very serious indeed.
Well, that was better than The Last Jedi. And I think probably better than The Force Awakens.
But it was no Empire Strikes Back.
Well it was the final one so hopefully we can have non Star Wars movies to talk about next Christmas
It's not going to be the last one. Though Solos failure may mean they are more cautious in side stuff
This is the last one of the series and having done the main series, the prequels and now the sequels there is little further they can go with it. Star Wars has now ended bar repeats
Oh, you sweet, sweet innocent child you. There are three more upcoming main movies with release dates on December 16, 2022, December 20, 2024 and December 18, 2026. There may be three other movies under Rian Johnson (spit). There's the Mandalorian on Disney Plus. There's the upcoming Kenobi TV series, also on Disney Plus. There's Kevin Feige's proposed film(s).
It's a billion dollar franchise and they've just opened a (bit of a) theme park. They won't let it go until you kill them with a brick.
Mr. HYUFD, the best new trilogy idea would be one that featured Grand Admiral Thrawn returning from the Outer Rim with his battered but intact task force, only to find he's got some rebels to crush.
[This is expanded universe stuff, doesn't feature in the main franchise, although I've not seen the Mandalorian or Rebels, so could be in there].
Fine but stick to TV series, as Martin Scorsese rightly said recently far too much cinema and far too many films at the moment involve superheroes (and for that you can include Star Wars and Skywalker) crowding out original material. It was no surprise by far the best film out over the last month, Knives Out, has nothing to do with Superheroes or Star Wars
Knives Out, whilst fun, stole without shame from the school of Marple/Poirot. Hardly "original material".....
I enjoyed watching Peter Ustinov as Poirot in a couple of films on TV over Christmas. And Google tells me he did 4 others I might try find on Netflix.
From the CPS news page... ...Alison dedicated over 30 years to public service and is noted for her commitment to law and order. She was appointed as DPP in 2013, the first lawyer from within the CPS to hold the position, and led the CPS during one of its most challenging periods. She is to be commended for her work during and after the London Riots and on the retrial and conviction of the killers of Stephen Lawrence, among many other achievements.
Yeah that's another one of the list I take issue with. She was rewarded for years of service. Penalising individual errors might discourage good candidates in future.
Why should someone be rewarded for years of service? That is what an income and a pension are for.
Not getting an honour is not being penalised in any sense whatsoever. Not unless you have some hideous sense of entitlement. Honours should be for exceptional behaviour. Saunders’ time as head of the CPS was in no sense exceptional.
At least, in no positive sense of exceptional....
No, no, be fair, she wasn’t exceptionally bad either. She was about average for a DPP, because they are all so epically shit.
Well, that was better than The Last Jedi. And I think probably better than The Force Awakens.
But it was no Empire Strikes Back.
Well it was the final one so hopefully we can have non Star Wars movies to talk about next Christmas
It's not going to be the last one. Though Solos failure may mean they are more cautious in side stuff
This is the last one of the series and having done the main series, the prequels and now the sequels there is little further they can go with it. Star Wars has now ended bar repeats
You've never heard of the Star Wars Expanded Universe? I'm not even a fan of the books and I know there's hundreds of stories they could adapt if they wanted to the new film continuity, it's like comic books. There are also already plans for other movies (not not all are certain, but if they think they will make money they will some of them - and apart from Solo they've all made money), so I regret to inform you that you have not heard the last of Star Wars.
Mr. HYUFD, the best new trilogy idea would be one that featured Grand Admiral Thrawn returning from the Outer Rim with his battered but intact task force, only to find he's got some rebels to crush.
[This is expanded universe stuff, doesn't feature in the main franchise, although I've not seen the Mandalorian or Rebels, so could be in there].
Fine but stick to TV series, as Martin Scorsese rightly said recently far too much cinema and far too many films at the moment involve superheroes (and for that you can include Star Wars and Skywalker) crowding out original material. It was no surprise by far the best film out over the last month, Knives Out, has nothing to do with Superheroes or Star Wars
Knives Out, whilst fun, stole without shame from the school of Marple/Poirot. Hardly "original material".....
There's nothing new under the sun, who gives a sh*t about original material? We could have yet another movie about mobsters from the person calling for more original material for a start.
From the CPS news page... ...Alison dedicated over 30 years to public service and is noted for her commitment to law and order. She was appointed as DPP in 2013, the first lawyer from within the CPS to hold the position, and led the CPS during one of its most challenging periods. She is to be commended for her work during and after the London Riots and on the retrial and conviction of the killers of Stephen Lawrence, among many other achievements.
Yeah that's another one of the list I take issue with. She was rewarded for years of service. Penalising individual errors might discourage good candidates in future.
Why should someone be rewarded for years of service? That is what an income and a pension are for.
Not getting an honour is not being penalised in any sense whatsoever. Not unless you have some hideous sense of entitlement. Honours should be for exceptional behaviour. Saunders’ time as head of the CPS was in no sense exceptional.
At least, in no positive sense of exceptional....
No, no, be fair, she wasn’t exceptionally bad either. She was about average for a DPP, because they are all so epically shit.
Yet would likely earn a multiple of their salary should they choose to work in private practice.
Well, that was better than The Last Jedi. And I think probably better than The Force Awakens.
But it was no Empire Strikes Back.
Well it was the final one so hopefully we can have non Star Wars movies to talk about next Christmas
It's not going to be the last one. Though Solos failure may mean they are more cautious in side stuff
This is the last one of the series and having done the main series, the prequels and now the sequels there is little further they can go with it. Star Wars has now ended bar repeats
You've never heard of the Star Wars Expanded Universe? I'm not even a fan of the books and I know there's hundreds of stories they could adapt if they wanted to the new film continuity, it's like comic books. There are also already plans for other movies (not not all are certain, but if they think they will make money they will some of them - and apart from Solo they've all made money), so I regret to inform you that you have not heard the last of Star Wars.
Wasn't the Expanded Universe (yes, the abbr is "EU"!) decanonised a few years back? Although bits and pieces keep sneaking back.
Mr. HYUFD, the best new trilogy idea would be one that featured Grand Admiral Thrawn returning from the Outer Rim with his battered but intact task force, only to find he's got some rebels to crush.
[This is expanded universe stuff, doesn't feature in the main franchise, although I've not seen the Mandalorian or Rebels, so could be in there].
Fine but stick to TV series, as Martin Scorsese rightly said recently far too much cinema and far too many films at the moment involve superheroes (and for that you can include Star Wars and Skywalker) crowding out original material. It was no surprise by far the best film out over the last month, Knives Out, has nothing to do with Superheroes or Star Wars
Knives Out, whilst fun, stole without shame from the school of Marple/Poirot. Hardly "original material".....
There's nothing new under the sun, who gives a sh*t about original material?
Well, not Disney, that’s for sure. The Last Jedi was the most original film they’ve made these ten years and they still buggered it up.
From the CPS news page... ...Alison dedicated over 30 years to public service and is noted for her commitment to law and order. She was appointed as DPP in 2013, the first lawyer from within the CPS to hold the position, and led the CPS during one of its most challenging periods. She is to be commended for her work during and after the London Riots and on the retrial and conviction of the killers of Stephen Lawrence, among many other achievements.
Yeah that's another one of the list I take issue with. She was rewarded for years of service. Penalising individual errors might discourage good candidates in future.
Why should someone be rewarded for years of service? That is what an income and a pension are for.
Not getting an honour is not being penalised in any sense whatsoever. Not unless you have some hideous sense of entitlement. Honours should be for exceptional behaviour. Saunders’ time as head of the CPS was in no sense exceptional.
At least, in no positive sense of exceptional....
No, no, be fair, she wasn’t exceptionally bad either. She was about average for a DPP, because they are all so epically shit.
Yet would likely earn a multiple of their salary should they choose to work in private practice.
That’s what’s baffling me. All these people are vastly experienced and very successful lawyers. So they’re not stupid or lazy. So how come not one of them can run the CPS even vaguely effectively?
So I’ve had no letters or phone calls from the NHS so hopefully that means my surgery tomorrow isn’t being cancelled or delayed further...
Fingers crossed for a positive start to 2020!
Missed this good luck not sure what the procedure is but hope it goes well.
I will be at the NHS on Monday for a different reason. Many moons ago I signed up as a potential bone marrow donor and was called last week to say someone who needs a transplant is a match for me. Which will I hope be a good news story.
Mr. HYUFD, the best new trilogy idea would be one that featured Grand Admiral Thrawn returning from the Outer Rim with his battered but intact task force, only to find he's got some rebels to crush.
[This is expanded universe stuff, doesn't feature in the main franchise, although I've not seen the Mandalorian or Rebels, so could be in there].
Fine but stick to TV series, as Martin Scorsese rightly said recently far too much cinema and far too many films at the moment involve superheroes (and for that you can include Star Wars and Skywalker) crowding out original material. It was no surprise by far the best film out over the last month, Knives Out, has nothing to do with Superheroes or Star Wars
Knives Out was directed by the chap who directed The Last Jedi, so it has something to do with Star Wars.
Is there a reason we should be more convinced about anthropogenic global warming than we were say 10 years ago? I have not been keeping up with the science, so I haven't heard anything new. It appears to me more like the volume (literally in many cases) of the alarmism and condemnation of 'deniers' has been raised and people have got into line accordingly.
For the the record, I believe in conserving fossil fuels, and in using beneficial forms of renewable energy, and in preserving our beautiful planet for future generations. But I also disapprove of unthinking puritanism and diminishing personal freedom.
I find the NOAA data on ocean heat content to be pretty compelling, not least because they have three very different measurement methods (thermal expansion based on measuring sea levels, ships with temperature measuring equipment, IR cameras from space) which all give essentially the same answer. That continues to show the earth warming.
Also, oceanic heat content is naturally slower moving than some other measures, and therefore you avoid either rapid spikes upward (or downward).
It's certainly made me more convinced by the GW part of AGW.
Thanks to you and @Morris_Dancer for your considered responses. Yes, on balance we appear to be warming (at the moment) and certainly the climate is changing. However, the 'A' is what is driving policy changes. And those policy changes are sometimes good (more use of good renewable energy, more recycling, more fuel efficient vehicles) many seem like powergrabs by the already powerful.
Well, that was better than The Last Jedi. And I think probably better than The Force Awakens.
But it was no Empire Strikes Back.
Well it was the final one so hopefully we can have non Star Wars movies to talk about next Christmas
It's not going to be the last one. Though Solos failure may mean they are more cautious in side stuff
This is the last one of the series and having done the main series, the prequels and now the sequels there is little further they can go with it. Star Wars has now ended bar repeats
You've never heard of the Star Wars Expanded Universe? I'm not even a fan of the books and I know there's hundreds of stories they could adapt if they wanted to the new film continuity, it's like comic books. There are also already plans for other movies (not not all are certain, but if they think they will make money they will some of them - and apart from Solo they've all made money), so I regret to inform you that you have not heard the last of Star Wars.
After Episodes VII to IX were announced the Expanded Universe is know known as Star Wars Legends.
You've never heard of the Star Wars Expanded Universe? I'm not even a fan of the books and I know there's hundreds of stories they could adapt if they wanted to the new film continuity, it's like comic books. There are also already plans for other movies (not not all are certain, but if they think they will make money they will some of them - and apart from Solo they've all made money), so I regret to inform you that you have not heard the last of Star Wars.
Absolute stone-cold certainty there will be another dozen at least. Then a remake of the original.
It is a shame that a lot of the best expanded universe/legends books are now redundant having me flatly contradicted by the canon of episodes of VII through to IX
From the CPS news page... ...Alison dedicated over 30 years to public service and is noted for her commitment to law and order. She was appointed as DPP in 2013, the first lawyer from within the CPS to hold the position, and led the CPS during one of its most challenging periods. She is to be commended for her work during and after the London Riots and on the retrial and conviction of the killers of Stephen Lawrence, among many other achievements.
Yeah that's another one of the list I take issue with. She was rewarded for years of service. Penalising individual errors might discourage good candidates in future.
Why should someone be rewarded for years of service? That is what an income and a pension are for.
Not getting an honour is not being penalised in any sense whatsoever. Not unless you have some hideous sense of entitlement. Honours should be for exceptional behaviour. Saunders’ time as head of the CPS was in no sense exceptional.
At least, in no positive sense of exceptional....
No, no, be fair, she wasn’t exceptionally bad either. She was about average for a DPP, because they are all so epically shit.
Yet would likely earn a multiple of their salary should they choose to work in private practice.
That’s what’s baffling me. All these people are vastly experienced and very successful lawyers. So they’re not stupid or lazy. So how come not one of them can run the CPS even vaguely effectively?
Because being a good lawyer and being an effective manager of other lawyers and staff and being able to build effective working relationships with key stakeholders, such as the police, are two very different skills. Being the former does not necessarily make you any good at the latter.
Ask any junior lawyer in even the most high-powered law firm what they think of the management skills of illustrious senior partners and the results will range from eye-rolling to the unprintable.
From the CPS news page... ...Alison dedicated over 30 years to public service and is noted for her commitment to law and order. She was appointed as DPP in 2013, the first lawyer from within the CPS to hold the position, and led the CPS during one of its most challenging periods. She is to be commended for her work during and after the London Riots and on the retrial and conviction of the killers of Stephen Lawrence, among many other achievements.
Yeah that's another one of the list I take issue with. She was rewarded for years of service. Penalising individual errors might discourage good candidates in future.
Why should someone be rewarded for years of service? That is what an income and a pension are for.
Not getting an honour is not being penalised in any sense whatsoever. Not unless you have some hideous sense of entitlement. Honours should be for exceptional behaviour. Saunders’ time as head of the CPS was in no sense exceptional.
At least, in no positive sense of exceptional....
No, no, be fair, she wasn’t exceptionally bad either. She was about average for a DPP, because they are all so epically shit.
Yet would likely earn a multiple of their salary should they choose to work in private practice.
That’s what’s baffling me. All these people are vastly experienced and very successful lawyers. So they’re not stupid or lazy. So how come not one of them can run the CPS even vaguely effectively?
Because being a good lawyer and being an effective manager of other lawyers and staff and being able to build effective working relationships with key stakeholders, such as the police, are two very different skills. Being the former does not necessarily make you any good at the latter.
Ask any junior lawyer in even the most high-powered law firm what they think of the management skills of illustrious senior partners and the results will range from eye-rolling to the unprintable.
Same of course as I know you are aware in many other industries the financial services one in particular. They take the guy who's best at machining ball bearings and make him head of the factory.
People who are good managers are not valued as they are not producers.
From the CPS news page... ...Alison dedicated over 30 years to public service and is noted for her commitment to law and order. She was appointed as DPP in 2013, the first lawyer from within the CPS to hold the position, and led the CPS during one of its most challenging periods. She is to be commended for her work during and after the London Riots and on the retrial and conviction of the killers of Stephen Lawrence, among many other achievements.
Yeah that's another one of the list I take issue with. She was rewarded for years of service. Penalising individual errors might discourage good candidates in future.
Why should someone be rewarded for years of service? That is what an income and a pension are for.
Not getting an honour is not being penalised in any sense whatsoever. Not unless you have some hideous sense of entitlement. Honours should be for exceptional behaviour. Saunders’ time as head of the CPS was in no sense exceptional.
At least, in no positive sense of exceptional....
No, no, be fair, she wasn’t exceptionally bad either. She was about average for a DPP, because they are all so epically shit.
Yet would likely earn a multiple of their salary should they choose to work in private practice.
That’s spin. Most CPS lawyers would not do so. They are pretty average. (As, frankly, quite a few in private practice.) Saunders only got her Linklaters job because she was the ex-boss. 20 years ago she’d have been most unlikely to walk into a City partnership.
Mr. HYUFD, the best new trilogy idea would be one that featured Grand Admiral Thrawn returning from the Outer Rim with his battered but intact task force, only to find he's got some rebels to crush.
[This is expanded universe stuff, doesn't feature in the main franchise, although I've not seen the Mandalorian or Rebels, so could be in there].
Fine but stick to TV series, as Martin Scorsese rightly said recently far too much cinema and far too many films at the moment involve superheroes (and for that you can include Star Wars and Skywalker) crowding out original material. It was no surprise by far the best film out over the last month, Knives Out, has nothing to do with Superheroes or Star Wars
Knives Out, whilst fun, stole without shame from the school of Marple/Poirot. Hardly "original material".....
There's nothing new under the sun, who gives a sh*t about original material? We could have yet another movie about mobsters from the person calling for more original material for a start.
From the CPS news page... ...Alison dedicated over 30 years to public service and is noted for her commitment to law and order. She was appointed as DPP in 2013, the first lawyer from within the CPS to hold the position, and led the CPS during one of its most challenging periods. She is to be commended for her work during and after the London Riots and on the retrial and conviction of the killers of Stephen Lawrence, among many other achievements.
Yeah that's another one of the list I take issue with. She was rewarded for years of service. Penalising individual errors might discourage good candidates in future.
Why should someone be rewarded for years of service? That is what an income and a pension are for.
Not getting an honour is not being penalised in any sense whatsoever. Not unless you have some hideous sense of entitlement. Honours should be for exceptional behaviour. Saunders’ time as head of the CPS was in no sense exceptional.
At least, in no positive sense of exceptional....
No, no, be fair, she wasn’t exceptionally bad either. She was about average for a DPP, because they are all so epically shit.
Yet would likely earn a multiple of their salary should they choose to work in private practice.
That’s what’s baffling me. All these people are vastly experienced and very successful lawyers. So they’re not stupid or lazy. So how come not one of them can run the CPS even vaguely effectively?
Because being a good lawyer and being an effective manager of other lawyers and staff and being able to build effective working relationships with key stakeholders, such as the police, are two very different skills. Being the former does not necessarily make you any good at the latter.
Ask any junior lawyer in even the most high-powered law firm what they think of the management skills of illustrious senior partners and the results will range from eye-rolling to the unprintable.
Same of course as I know you are aware in many other industries the financial services one in particular. They take the guy who's best at machining ball bearings and make him head of the factory.
People who are good managers are not valued as they are not producers.
From the CPS news page... ...Alison dedicated over 30 years to public service and is noted for her commitment to law and order. She was appointed as DPP in 2013, the first lawyer from within the CPS to hold the position, and led the CPS during one of its most challenging periods. She is to be commended for her work during and after the London Riots and on the retrial and conviction of the killers of Stephen Lawrence, among many other achievements.
Yeah that's another one of the list I take issue with. She was rewarded for years of service. Penalising individual errors might discourage good candidates in future.
Why should someone be rewarded for years of service? That is what an income and a pension are for.
Not getting an honour is not being penalised in any sense whatsoever. Not unless you have some hideous sense of entitlement. Honours should be for exceptional behaviour. Saunders’ time as head of the CPS was in no sense exceptional.
At least, in no positive sense of exceptional....
No, no, be fair, she wasn’t exceptionally bad either. She was about average for a DPP, because they are all so epically shit.
Yet would likely earn a multiple of their salary should they choose to work in private practice.
That’s what’s baffling me. All these people are vastly experienced and very successful lawyers. So they’re not stupid or lazy. So how come not one of them can run the CPS even vaguely effectively?
Because being a good lawyer and being an effective manager of other lawyers and staff and being able to build effective working relationships with key stakeholders, such as the police, are two very different skills. Being the former does not necessarily make you any good at the latter.
Ask any junior lawyer in even the most high-powered law firm what they think of the management skills of illustrious senior partners and the results will range from eye-rolling to the unprintable.
So here’s a question. Would it be better if the DPP managed the legal side and there was a separate Chief Executive of the CPS to do the actual management?
Utterly off topic, except that railways are never truly off topic: I am waiting for a train at Helsby station. It's all stone buildings and wrought iron. There is a signal box on the station itself, behind me; occasionally I hear the massive clunk of the signalman shifting the points: or brief little volleys of bells. While I wait for my train to Manchester, trains pass in the opposite direction to exotic places like Wrexham and Llandudno and Holyhead. The platform is bathed in sodium orange. It is all utterly atmospheric and - asode from the roar of the M56 in the background - feels like it could be 1948.
So I’ve had no letters or phone calls from the NHS so hopefully that means my surgery tomorrow isn’t being cancelled or delayed further...
Fingers crossed for a positive start to 2020!
Missed this good luck not sure what the procedure is but hope it goes well.
I will be at the NHS on Monday for a different reason. Many moons ago I signed up as a potential bone marrow donor and was called last week to say someone who needs a transplant is a match for me. Which will I hope be a good news story.
I got the code quiz right at the end, without looking at the comments! And I haven't coded in Javascript since (thinks) 2012 at the latest! Pause. OK, that's not really something to boast about...
I've looked at date formats frequently over the years, particularly for timestamps. You find yourself writing yyyy-mm-dd-hh-mm-ss and then you get tripped up by those which use milliseconds as well.
I just use milliseconds since the Unix Epoch for everything.
Yeah that's another one of the list I take issue with. She was rewarded for years of service. Penalising individual errors might discourage good candidates in future.
Why should someone be rewarded for years of service? That is what an income and a pension are for.
Not getting an honour is not being penalised in any sense whatsoever. Not unless you have some hideous sense of entitlement. Honours should be for exceptional behaviour. Saunders’ time as head of the CPS was in no sense exceptional.
At least, in no positive sense of exceptional....
No, no, be fair, she wasn’t exceptionally bad either. She was about average for a DPP, because they are all so epically shit.
Yet would likely earn a multiple of their salary should they choose to work in private practice.
That’s what’s baffling me. All these people are vastly experienced and very successful lawyers. So they’re not stupid or lazy. So how come not one of them can run the CPS even vaguely effectively?
Because being a good lawyer and being an effective manager of other lawyers and staff and being able to build effective working relationships with key stakeholders, such as the police, are two very different skills. Being the former does not necessarily make you any good at the latter.
Ask any junior lawyer in even the most high-powered law firm what they think of the management skills of illustrious senior partners and the results will range from eye-rolling to the unprintable.
So here’s a question. Would it be better if the DPP managed the legal side and there was a separate Chief Executive of the CPS to do the actual management?
Probably yes - though you risk creating tensions between a lawyer who wants to achieve the best legal outcome and a CoE who just wants to cut costs and has no concept of value for money.
But if you have a COO working for the head of the CPS and they have a clear joint shared understanding of what they are trying to achieve, both legally and from an organisational / effectiveness perspective, then yes it could work.
From the CPS news page... ...Alison dedicated over 30 years to public service and is noted for her commitment to law and order. She was appointed as DPP in 2013, the first lawyer from within the CPS to hold the position, and led the CPS during one of its most challenging periods. She is to be commended for her work during and after the London Riots and on the retrial and conviction of the killers of Stephen Lawrence, among many other achievements.
Yeah that's another one of the list I take issue with. She was rewarded for years of service. Penalising individual errors might discourage good candidates in future.
Why should someone be rewarded for years of service? That is what an income and a pension are for.
Not getting an honour is not being penalised in any sense whatsoever. Not unless you have some hideous sense of entitlement. Honours should be for exceptional behaviour. Saunders’ time as head of the CPS was in no sense exceptional.
On the contrary, it was exceptional in a number of ways.
So I’ve had no letters or phone calls from the NHS so hopefully that means my surgery tomorrow isn’t being cancelled or delayed further...
Fingers crossed for a positive start to 2020!
Missed this good luck not sure what the procedure is but hope it goes well.
I will be at the NHS on Monday for a different reason. Many moons ago I signed up as a potential bone marrow donor and was called last week to say someone who needs a transplant is a match for me. Which will I hope be a good news story.
Mr. HYUFD, the best new trilogy idea would be one that featured Grand Admiral Thrawn returning from the Outer Rim with his battered but intact task force, only to find he's got some rebels to crush.
[This is expanded universe stuff, doesn't feature in the main franchise, although I've not seen the Mandalorian or Rebels, so could be in there].
Fine but stick to TV series, as Martin Scorsese rightly said recently far too much cinema and far too many films at the moment involve superheroes (and for that you can include Star Wars and Skywalker) crowding out original material. It was no surprise by far the best film out over the last month, Knives Out, has nothing to do with Superheroes or Star Wars
Knives Out, whilst fun, stole without shame from the school of Marple/Poirot. Hardly "original material".....
Compared to the miserable dirge that was Branaugh's Murder on the Orient Express, it was superb.
The real joy of Knives Out is how (until the end) it is wonderfully ambiguous it is whether Benoit Blanc is brilliant or a blithering idiot.
The other great joy is that it is how incredibly neatly every little detail is tied up.
Mr. HYUFD, the best new trilogy idea would be one that featured Grand Admiral Thrawn returning from the Outer Rim with his battered but intact task force, only to find he's got some rebels to crush.
[This is expanded universe stuff, doesn't feature in the main franchise, although I've not seen the Mandalorian or Rebels, so could be in there].
Fine but stick to TV series, as Martin Scorsese rightly said recently far too much cinema and far too many films at the moment involve superheroes (and for that you can include Star Wars and Skywalker) crowding out original material. It was no surprise by far the best film out over the last month, Knives Out, has nothing to do with Superheroes or Star Wars
Knives Out was directed by the chap who directed The Last Jedi, so it has something to do with Star Wars.
Mr. HYUFD, the best new trilogy idea would be one that featured Grand Admiral Thrawn returning from the Outer Rim with his battered but intact task force, only to find he's got some rebels to crush.
[This is expanded universe stuff, doesn't feature in the main franchise, although I've not seen the Mandalorian or Rebels, so could be in there].
Fine but stick to TV series, as Martin Scorsese rightly said recently far too much cinema and far too many films at the moment involve superheroes (and for that you can include Star Wars and Skywalker) crowding out original material. It was no surprise by far the best film out over the last month, Knives Out, has nothing to do with Superheroes or Star Wars
Knives Out was directed by the chap who directed The Last Jedi, so it has something to do with Star Wars.
Though it’s actually rather good.
As the great man himself said, no The Last Jedi then no Knives Out.
Well, that was better than The Last Jedi. And I think probably better than The Force Awakens.
But it was no Empire Strikes Back.
Well it was the final one so hopefully we can have non Star Wars movies to talk about next Christmas
It's not going to be the last one. Though Solos failure may mean they are more cautious in side stuff
Solo was a cracking film and I think it suffered as part of the backlash from The Last Jedi (which I also thought was a very good film). It would be very sad if they didn't continue the Solo storyline.
From the CPS news page... ...Alison dedicated over 30 years to public service and is noted for her commitment to law and order. She was appointed as DPP in 2013, the first lawyer from within the CPS to hold the position, and led the CPS during one of its most challenging periods. She is to be commended for her work during and after the London Riots and on the retrial and conviction of the killers of Stephen Lawrence, among many other achievements.
Yeah that's another one of the list I take issue with. She was rewarded for years of service. Penalising individual errors might discourage good candidates in future.
Why should someone be rewarded for years of service? That is what an income and a pension are for.
Not getting an honour is not being penalised in any sense whatsoever. Not unless you have some hideous sense of entitlement. Honours should be for exceptional behaviour. Saunders’ time as head of the CPS was in no sense exceptional.
On the contrary, it was exceptional in a number of ways.
Mr. HYUFD, the best new trilogy idea would be one that featured Grand Admiral Thrawn returning from the Outer Rim with his battered but intact task force, only to find he's got some rebels to crush.
[This is expanded universe stuff, doesn't feature in the main franchise, although I've not seen the Mandalorian or Rebels, so could be in there].
Fine but stick to TV series, as Martin Scorsese rightly said recently far too much cinema and far too many films at the moment involve superheroes (and for that you can include Star Wars and Skywalker) crowding out original material. It was no surprise by far the best film out over the last month, Knives Out, has nothing to do with Superheroes or Star Wars
Knives Out was directed by the chap who directed The Last Jedi, so it has something to do with Star Wars.
Though it’s actually rather good.
As the great man himself said, no The Last Jedi then no Knives Out.
Indeed. It didn’t make me enjoy the former any more, though.
Well, that was better than The Last Jedi. And I think probably better than The Force Awakens.
But it was no Empire Strikes Back.
Well it was the final one so hopefully we can have non Star Wars movies to talk about next Christmas
It's not going to be the last one. Though Solos failure may mean they are more cautious in side stuff
This is the last one of the series and having done the main series, the prequels and now the sequels there is little further they can go with it. Star Wars has now ended bar repeats
You've never heard of the Star Wars Expanded Universe? I'm not even a fan of the books and I know there's hundreds of stories they could adapt if they wanted to the new film continuity, it's like comic books. There are also already plans for other movies (not not all are certain, but if they think they will make money they will some of them - and apart from Solo they've all made money), so I regret to inform you that you have not heard the last of Star Wars.
Wasn't the Expanded Universe (yes, the abbr is "EU"!) decanonised a few years back? Although bits and pieces keep sneaking back.
They renamed it Star Wars Legends as a result of the backlash when they tried to dump it completely.
Mr. HYUFD, the best new trilogy idea would be one that featured Grand Admiral Thrawn returning from the Outer Rim with his battered but intact task force, only to find he's got some rebels to crush.
[This is expanded universe stuff, doesn't feature in the main franchise, although I've not seen the Mandalorian or Rebels, so could be in there].
Fine but stick to TV series, as Martin Scorsese rightly said recently far too much cinema and far too many films at the moment involve superheroes (and for that you can include Star Wars and Skywalker) crowding out original material. It was no surprise by far the best film out over the last month, Knives Out, has nothing to do with Superheroes or Star Wars
Knives Out was directed by the chap who directed The Last Jedi, so it has something to do with Star Wars.
Though it’s actually rather good.
As the great man himself said, no The Last Jedi then no Knives Out.
Indeed. It didn’t make me enjoy the former any more, though.
Why should it? Just because ‘Allo ‘Allo was at best patchy doesn’t mean Dad’s Army wasn’t brilliant.
I got the code quiz right at the end, without looking at the comments! And I haven't coded in Javascript since (thinks) 2012 at the latest! Pause. OK, that's not really something to boast about...
I've looked at date formats frequently over the years, particularly for timestamps. You find yourself writing yyyy-mm-dd-hh-mm-ss and then you get tripped up by those which use milliseconds as well.
I just use milliseconds since the Unix Epoch for everything.
It does sometimes cause confusion.
So either you’re hoping to retire before 2038, or hoping that 2038 generates another millennium bug’s worth of work to enable you to retire?
Wouldn't Clarke more likely be enobled as part of the dissolution honours not the new year ones?
Which of course is at risk because such honours would traditionally include the speaker and hence there may not be one this time which would discriminate against Clarke and others.
I think that's right.
There seems to have been an enormous amount of misinformed comment about this - eg LBC went on for hours about Bercow not getting a Peerage in the New Years Honours List.
In fact, NOBODY got a Peerage in the New Years Honours list - Peerages (and there will surely be some) will be announced in the Dissolution Honours List.
Morgan and Goldsmith were announced individually as they were needed straight away.
Clarke may think the same of peerages as Heath, Major and Brown did and Brown didn't accept a knighthood either.
If neither Clarke nor Bercow receive peerages in the dissolution honours it will be discretely made known by sources close to No. 10 that the former didn't want one but the latter most certainly did.
Wouldn't Clarke more likely be enobled as part of the dissolution honours not the new year ones?
Which of course is at risk because such honours would traditionally include the speaker and hence there may not be one this time which would discriminate against Clarke and others.
I think that's right.
There seems to have been an enormous amount of misinformed comment about this - eg LBC went on for hours about Bercow not getting a Peerage in the New Years Honours List.
In fact, NOBODY got a Peerage in the New Years Honours list - Peerages (and there will surely be some) will be announced in the Dissolution Honours List.
Morgan and Goldsmith were announced individually as they were needed straight away.
Clarke may think the same of peerages as Heath, Major and Brown did and Brown didn't accept a knighthood either.
If neither Clarke nor Bercow receive peerages in the dissolution honours it will be discretely made known by sources close to No. 10 that the former didn't want one but the latter most certainly did.
Fake news, as Ken Clarke and several journalists have said, Dominic Cummings has been briefing for weeks they will not be giving the Pro EU Clarke a peerage.
Mr. HYUFD, the best new trilogy idea would be one that featured Grand Admiral Thrawn returning from the Outer Rim with his battered but intact task force, only to find he's got some rebels to crush.
[This is expanded universe stuff, doesn't feature in the main franchise, although I've not seen the Mandalorian or Rebels, so could be in there].
Fine but stick to TV series, as Martin Scorsese rightly said recently far too much cinema and far too many films at the moment involve superheroes (and for that you can include Star Wars and Skywalker) crowding out original material. It was no surprise by far the best film out over the last month, Knives Out, has nothing to do with Superheroes or Star Wars
Knives Out, whilst fun, stole without shame from the school of Marple/Poirot. Hardly "original material".....
Compared to the miserable dirge that was Branaugh's Murder on the Orient Express, it was superb.
The real joy of Knives Out is how (until the end) it is wonderfully ambiguous it is whether Benoit Blanc is brilliant or a blithering idiot.
The other great joy is that it is how incredibly neatly every little detail is tied up.
2020 brings you the, er, delights of Branagh's turn as Poirot in Death on the Nile. With French and Saunders and Russell Brand. What's not to like?
Mr. HYUFD, the best new trilogy idea would be one that featured Grand Admiral Thrawn returning from the Outer Rim with his battered but intact task force, only to find he's got some rebels to crush.
[This is expanded universe stuff, doesn't feature in the main franchise, although I've not seen the Mandalorian or Rebels, so could be in there].
Fine but stick to TV series, as Martin Scorsese rightly said recently far too much cinema and far too many films at the moment involve superheroes (and for that you can include Star Wars and Skywalker) crowding out original material. It was no surprise by far the best film out over the last month, Knives Out, has nothing to do with Superheroes or Star Wars
Knives Out, whilst fun, stole without shame from the school of Marple/Poirot. Hardly "original material".....
Compared to the miserable dirge that was Branaugh's Murder on the Orient Express, it was superb.
The real joy of Knives Out is how (until the end) it is wonderfully ambiguous it is whether Benoit Blanc is brilliant or a blithering idiot.
The other great joy is that it is how incredibly neatly every little detail is tied up.
2020 brings you the, er, delights of Branagh's turn as Poirot in Death on the Nile. With French and Saunders and Russell Brand. What's not to like?
Have to admit the film that has really caught my attention for 2020 is Tenet, saw an extended trailer for that recently, it looks well wow.
I got the code quiz right at the end, without looking at the comments! And I haven't coded in Javascript since (thinks) 2012 at the latest! Pause. OK, that's not really something to boast about...
I've looked at date formats frequently over the years, particularly for timestamps. You find yourself writing yyyy-mm-dd-hh-mm-ss and then you get tripped up by those which use milliseconds as well.
I just use milliseconds since the Unix Epoch for everything.
Well, that was better than The Last Jedi. And I think probably better than The Force Awakens.
But it was no Empire Strikes Back.
Well it was the final one so hopefully we can have non Star Wars movies to talk about next Christmas
It's not going to be the last one. Though Solos failure may mean they are more cautious in side stuff
This is the last one of the series and having done the main series, the prequels and now the sequels there is little further they can go with it. Star Wars has now ended bar repeats
You've never heard of the Star Wars Expanded Universe? I'm not even a fan of the books and I know there's hundreds of stories they could adapt if they wanted to the new film continuity, it's like comic books. There are also already plans for other movies (not not all are certain, but if they think they will make money they will some of them - and apart from Solo they've all made money), so I regret to inform you that you have not heard the last of Star Wars.
Wasn't the Expanded Universe (yes, the abbr is "EU"!) decanonised a few years back? Although bits and pieces keep sneaking back.
They renamed it Star Wars Legends as a result of the backlash when they tried to dump it completely.
Mr. HYUFD, the best new trilogy idea would be one that featured Grand Admiral Thrawn returning from the Outer Rim with his battered but intact task force, only to find he's got some rebels to crush.
[This is expanded universe stuff, doesn't feature in the main franchise, although I've not seen the Mandalorian or Rebels, so could be in there].
Fine but stick to TV series, as Martin Scorsese rightly said recently far too much cinema and far too many films at the moment involve superheroes (and for that you can include Star Wars and Skywalker) crowding out original material. It was no surprise by far the best film out over the last month, Knives Out, has nothing to do with Superheroes or Star Wars
Knives Out, whilst fun, stole without shame from the school of Marple/Poirot. Hardly "original material".....
Compared to the miserable dirge that was Branaugh's Murder on the Orient Express, it was superb.
The real joy of Knives Out is how (until the end) it is wonderfully ambiguous it is whether Benoit Blanc is brilliant or a blithering idiot.
The other great joy is that it is how incredibly neatly every little detail is tied up.
2020 brings you the, er, delights of Branagh's turn as Poirot in Death on the Nile. With French and Saunders and Russell Brand. What's not to like?
Have to admit the film that has really caught my attention for 2020 is Tenet, saw an extended trailer for that recently, it looks well wow.
Mr. HYUFD, the best new trilogy idea would be one that featured Grand Admiral Thrawn returning from the Outer Rim with his battered but intact task force, only to find he's got some rebels to crush.
[This is expanded universe stuff, doesn't feature in the main franchise, although I've not seen the Mandalorian or Rebels, so could be in there].
Fine but stick to TV series, as Martin Scorsese rightly said recently far too much cinema and far too many films at the moment involve superheroes (and for that you can include Star Wars and Skywalker) crowding out original material. It was no surprise by far the best film out over the last month, Knives Out, has nothing to do with Superheroes or Star Wars
Knives Out, whilst fun, stole without shame from the school of Marple/Poirot. Hardly "original material".....
Compared to the miserable dirge that was Branaugh's Murder on the Orient Express, it was superb.
The real joy of Knives Out is how (until the end) it is wonderfully ambiguous it is whether Benoit Blanc is brilliant or a blithering idiot.
The other great joy is that it is how incredibly neatly every little detail is tied up.
2020 brings you the, er, delights of Branagh's turn as Poirot in Death on the Nile. With French and Saunders and Russell Brand. What's not to like?
Have to admit the film that has really caught my attention for 2020 is Tenet, saw an extended trailer for that recently, it looks well wow.
Well, that was better than The Last Jedi. And I think probably better than The Force Awakens.
But it was no Empire Strikes Back.
Well it was the final one so hopefully we can have non Star Wars movies to talk about next Christmas
It's not going to be the last one. Though Solos failure may mean they are more cautious in side stuff
Solo was a cracking film and I think it suffered as part of the backlash from The Last Jedi (which I also thought was a very good film). It would be very sad if they didn't continue the Solo storyline.
Agreed. I really enjoyed it. And if I'd been nine years old, I think I would have absolutely loved it.
It's one big problem was that Alden Ehrenreich neither looked, nor sounded like Harrison Ford. By contrast, in the turgid prequels, Ewan McGregor managed to get Alec Guinness's intonation pretty much spot on. You could believe he was a young Obi-Wan.
I got the code quiz right at the end, without looking at the comments! And I haven't coded in Javascript since (thinks) 2012 at the latest! Pause. OK, that's not really something to boast about...
I've looked at date formats frequently over the years, particularly for timestamps. You find yourself writing yyyy-mm-dd-hh-mm-ss and then you get tripped up by those which use milliseconds as well.
I just use milliseconds since the Unix Epoch for everything.
It does sometimes cause confusion.
So either you’re hoping to retire before 2038, or hoping that 2038 generates another millennium bug’s worth of work to enable you to retire?
On the contrary, I am not limited to 32-bit integers, so I can continue to use milliseconds since epoch for everything without issue.
Mr. HYUFD, the best new trilogy idea would be one that featured Grand Admiral Thrawn returning from the Outer Rim with his battered but intact task force, only to find he's got some rebels to crush.
[This is expanded universe stuff, doesn't feature in the main franchise, although I've not seen the Mandalorian or Rebels, so could be in there].
Fine but stick to TV series, as Martin Scorsese rightly said recently far too much cinema and far too many films at the moment involve superheroes (and for that you can include Star Wars and Skywalker) crowding out original material. It was no surprise by far the best film out over the last month, Knives Out, has nothing to do with Superheroes or Star Wars
Knives Out, whilst fun, stole without shame from the school of Marple/Poirot. Hardly "original material".....
Compared to the miserable dirge that was Branaugh's Murder on the Orient Express, it was superb.
The real joy of Knives Out is how (until the end) it is wonderfully ambiguous it is whether Benoit Blanc is brilliant or a blithering idiot.
The other great joy is that it is how incredibly neatly every little detail is tied up.
2020 brings you the, er, delights of Branagh's turn as Poirot in Death on the Nile. With French and Saunders and Russell Brand. What's not to like?
I will approach it with an open mind, and a closed wallet.
Mr. HYUFD, the best new trilogy idea would be one that featured Grand Admiral Thrawn returning from the Outer Rim with his battered but intact task force, only to find he's got some rebels to crush.
[This is expanded universe stuff, doesn't feature in the main franchise, although I've not seen the Mandalorian or Rebels, so could be in there].
Fine but stick to TV series, as Martin Scorsese rightly said recently far too much cinema and far too many films at the moment involve superheroes (and for that you can include Star Wars and Skywalker) crowding out original material. It was no surprise by far the best film out over the last month, Knives Out, has nothing to do with Superheroes or Star Wars
Knives Out, whilst fun, stole without shame from the school of Marple/Poirot. Hardly "original material".....
Compared to the miserable dirge that was Branaugh's Murder on the Orient Express, it was superb.
The real joy of Knives Out is how (until the end) it is wonderfully ambiguous it is whether Benoit Blanc is brilliant or a blithering idiot.
The other great joy is that it is how incredibly neatly every little detail is tied up.
2020 brings you the, er, delights of Branagh's turn as Poirot in Death on the Nile. With French and Saunders and Russell Brand. What's not to like?
Have to admit the film that has really caught my attention for 2020 is Tenet, saw an extended trailer for that recently, it looks well wow.
I got the code quiz right at the end, without looking at the comments! And I haven't coded in Javascript since (thinks) 2012 at the latest! Pause. OK, that's not really something to boast about...
I've looked at date formats frequently over the years, particularly for timestamps. You find yourself writing yyyy-mm-dd-hh-mm-ss and then you get tripped up by those which use milliseconds as well.
I just use milliseconds since the Unix Epoch for everything.
It does sometimes cause confusion.
So either you’re hoping to retire before 2038, or hoping that 2038 generates another millennium bug’s worth of work to enable you to retire?
On the contrary, I am not limited to 32-bit integers, so I can continue to use milliseconds since epoch for everything without issue.
Cummings is correct here - better to give Manchester University and others cash beefing up their research departments rather than try and create something new.
Agree, if the university is prepared to embrace the new mission and identity thay would make it the MIT of the UK, rather than just Manchester uni rolling in cash.
It was a tremendous film and Kermode was absolutely right in his praise of it. Like the first which was also a commercial flop originally, it will come to be seen as one of the best films of all time.
From the CPS news page... ...Alison dedicated over 30 years to public service and is noted for her commitment to law and order. She was appointed as DPP in 2013, the first lawyer from within the CPS to hold the position, and led the CPS during one of its most challenging periods. She is to be commended for her work during and after the London Riots and on the retrial and conviction of the killers of Stephen Lawrence, among many other achievements.
Yeah that's another one of the list I take issue with. She was rewarded for years of service. Penalising individual errors might discourage good candidates in future.
Why should someone be rewarded for years of service? That is what an income and a pension are for.
Not getting an honour is not being penalised in any sense whatsoever. Not unless you have some hideous sense of entitlement. Honours should be for exceptional behaviour. Saunders’ time as head of the CPS was in no sense exceptional.
At least, in no positive sense of exceptional....
No, no, be fair, she wasn’t exceptionally bad either. She was about average for a DPP, because they are all so epically shit.
Yet would likely earn a multiple of their salary should they choose to work in private practice.
That’s what’s baffling me. All these people are vastly experienced and very successful lawyers. So they’re not stupid or lazy. So how come not one of them can run the CPS even vaguely effectively?
The usual excuse is funding but the dirty secret is that the lazy and less than stellar are attracted there. Salary is part, but not the only part, of it. Honours were a way of making up for the salary adjustment. It’s easier to sneer though.
Cummings is correct here - better to give Manchester University and others cash beefing up their research departments rather than try and create something new.
Agree, if the university is prepared to embrace the new mission and identity thay would make it the MIT of the UK, rather than just Manchester uni rolling in cash.
Cummings is correct here - better to give Manchester University and others cash beefing up their research departments rather than try and create something new.
Agree, if the university is prepared to embrace the new mission and identity thay would make it the MIT of the UK, rather than just Manchester uni rolling in cash.
Yeah, there had better be very tight spending guidelines attached to the money. If they don’t just want to see it disappear into the blob. If they’re going to be like MIT, they’ll also be funding a lot of scholarships for the most able in STEM subjects.
It was a tremendous film and Kermode was absolutely right in his praise of it. Like the first which was also a commercial flop originally, it will come to be seen as one of the best films of all time.
I agree: I thought it was lovely, although it is sexist (albeit for in-universe reasons) and I wouldn't have put Jared Leto in that part.
However a more subtle criticism is that it won't be influential. It's pitch perfect as a Blade Runner film, but will anybody copy it? I think the present-failure-future-classic sci-fi film of the last few years is 'Annihilation': the design on that film was gorgeous and it looked like nothing else.
Well, that was better than The Last Jedi. And I think probably better than The Force Awakens.
But it was no Empire Strikes Back.
Well it was the final one so hopefully we can have non Star Wars movies to talk about next Christmas
I expect Denis Villeneuve's take on Dune might well be the blockbuster next Christmas.
That's what they thought about the first one.
Yeah, but they're only adapting the first half of the novel for this adaption, so they can proceed at a slower pace and actually explain what the hell is going on. Not having Lynch do it, either - who while I like as a director, was not suited for the task of getting a novel like Dune successfully adapted - helps too.
Yeah it could well flop finanically, but expect it'll be better well received by critics than the Lynch version, for sure. Also they can entice people in with the sandworms + advertising it as 'Game of Thrones in space'.
Mr. HYUFD, the best new trilogy idea would be one that featured Grand Admiral Thrawn returning from the Outer Rim with his battered but intact task force, only to find he's got some rebels to crush.
[This is expanded universe stuff, doesn't feature in the main franchise, although I've not seen the Mandalorian or Rebels, so could be in there].
Fine but stick to TV series, as Martin Scorsese rightly said recently far too much cinema and far too many films at the moment involve superheroes (and for that you can include Star Wars and Skywalker) crowding out original material. It was no surprise by far the best film out over the last month, Knives Out, has nothing to do with Superheroes or Star Wars
Knives Out, whilst fun, stole without shame from the school of Marple/Poirot. Hardly "original material".....
Compared to the miserable dirge that was Branaugh's Murder on the Orient Express, it was superb.
The real joy of Knives Out is how (until the end) it is wonderfully ambiguous it is whether Benoit Blanc is brilliant or a blithering idiot.
The other great joy is that it is how incredibly neatly every little detail is tied up.
2020 brings you the, er, delights of Branagh's turn as Poirot in Death on the Nile. With French and Saunders and Russell Brand. What's not to like?
Have to admit the film that has really caught my attention for 2020 is Tenet, saw an extended trailer for that recently, it looks well wow.
Mr. HYUFD, the best new trilogy idea would be one that featured Grand Admiral Thrawn returning from the Outer Rim with his battered but intact task force, only to find he's got some rebels to crush.
[This is expanded universe stuff, doesn't feature in the main franchise, although I've not seen the Mandalorian or Rebels, so could be in there].
Fine but stick to TV series, as Martin Scorsese rightly said recently far too much cinema and far too many films at the moment involve superheroes (and for that you can include Star Wars and Skywalker) crowding out original material. It was no surprise by far the best film out over the last month, Knives Out, has nothing to do with Superheroes or Star Wars
Knives Out, whilst fun, stole without shame from the school of Marple/Poirot. Hardly "original material".....
Compared to the miserable dirge that was Branaugh's Murder on the Orient Express, it was superb.
The real joy of Knives Out is how (until the end) it is wonderfully ambiguous it is whether Benoit Blanc is brilliant or a blithering idiot.
The other great joy is that it is how incredibly neatly every little detail is tied up.
2020 brings you the, er, delights of Branagh's turn as Poirot in Death on the Nile. With French and Saunders and Russell Brand. What's not to like?
Have to admit the film that has really caught my attention for 2020 is Tenet, saw an extended trailer for that recently, it looks well wow.
It divides me a little bit. It’s essentially Game of Thrones in space, to all intents and purposes (before Game of Thrones was a thing), but I veer wildly between being rather impressed by its world building and thinking it’s a fairly interesting tale completely submerged in a lot of over-baked guff. Certainly the Lynch film trended towards the latter.
Yeah it could well flop finanically, but expect it'll be better well received by critics than the Lynch version, for sure. Also they can entice people in with the sandworms + advertising it as 'Game of Thrones in space'.
Mr. HYUFD, the best new trilogy idea would be one that featured Grand Admiral Thrawn returning from the Outer Rim with his battered but intact task force, only to find he's got some rebels to crush.
[This is expanded universe stuff, doesn't feature in the main franchise, although I've not seen the Mandalorian or Rebels, so could be in there].
Fine but stick to TV series, as Martin Scorsese rightly said recently far too much cinema and far too many films at the moment involve superheroes (and for that you can include Star Wars and Skywalker) crowding out original material. It was no surprise by far the best film out over the last month, Knives Out, has nothing to do with Superheroes or Star Wars
Knives Out, whilst fun, stole without shame from the school of Marple/Poirot. Hardly "original material".....
Compared to the miserable dirge that was Branaugh's Murder on the Orient Express, it was superb.
The real joy of Knives Out is how (until the end) it is wonderfully ambiguous it is whether Benoit Blanc is brilliant or a blithering idiot.
The other great joy is that it is how incredibly neatly every little detail is tied up.
2020 brings you the, er, delights of Branagh's turn as Poirot in Death on the Nile. With French and Saunders and Russell Brand. What's not to like?
His Orient Express wasn't bad, as long as you treat it as a harmless movie about Kenneth Branagh putting on a funny accent and solving a murder.
Well, that was better than The Last Jedi. And I think probably better than The Force Awakens.
But it was no Empire Strikes Back.
Well it was the final one so hopefully we can have non Star Wars movies to talk about next Christmas
It's not going to be the last one. Though Solos failure may mean they are more cautious in side stuff
This is the last one of the series and having done the main series, the prequels and now the sequels there is little further they can go with it. Star Wars has now ended bar repeats
You've never heard of the Star Wars Expanded Universe? I'm not even a fan of the books and I know there's hundreds of stories they could adapt if they wanted to the new film continuity, it's like comic books. There are also already plans for other movies (not not all are certain, but if they think they will make money they will some of them - and apart from Solo they've all made money), so I regret to inform you that you have not heard the last of Star Wars.
Wasn't the Expanded Universe (yes, the abbr is "EU"!) decanonised a few years back? Although bits and pieces keep sneaking back.
They should de-canonise the "Sequel Trilogy" and reinstate the original Expanded Universe!
It divides me a little bit. It’s essentially Game of Thrones in space, to all intents and purposes (before Game of Thrones was a thing), but I veer wildly between being rather impressed by its world building and thinking it’s a fairly interesting tale completely submerged in a lot of over-baked guff. Certainly the Lynch film trended towards the latter.
Lucas's big mistake was making the Prequel Trilogy whilst Lucasfilm was under his control. We basically know what happens in the prequels from clues in the Original Trilogy, don't we?
No, Lucas should have made the Sequel Trilogy first, because it would have made things much more interesting. He could have told three completely new stories regarding the aftermath of the Battle of Endor and the building of the New Republic.
And then within the last four years, the Disney crew could have had a stab at the Prequels - it would have been really entertaining to see how they would have told those stories!
It divides me a little bit. It’s essentially Game of Thrones in space, to all intents and purposes (before Game of Thrones was a thing), but I veer wildly between being rather impressed by its world building and thinking it’s a fairly interesting tale completely submerged in a lot of over-baked guff. Certainly the Lynch film trended towards the latter.
It certainly needed spicing up in places.
It was a mix of many influences. A melange, you could say.
It divides me a little bit. It’s essentially Game of Thrones in space, to all intents and purposes (before Game of Thrones was a thing), but I veer wildly between being rather impressed by its world building and thinking it’s a fairly interesting tale completely submerged in a lot of over-baked guff. Certainly the Lynch film trended towards the latter.
As a series, Dune starts going downhill around God Emperor, which basically consists of Jabba the Hut... sorry, I mean Leto II, going on confusing philosophical diatribes, before thankfully he is disposed of. The original trilogy (Dune, Dune Messiah, and Children), though, is a masterpiece of the science fiction genre.
It is disturbing to reflect that so far I haven’t seen a single leadership contender who either (a) stands out from the rest as somebody of talent and energy or (b) might tempt me to vote Labour in 2024.
Labour are really doing a very bad job right now of trying to head back to government.
It is disturbing to reflect that so far I haven’t seen a single leadership contender who either (a) stands out from the rest as somebody of talent and energy or (b) might tempt me to vote Labour in 2024.
Labour are really doing a very bad job right now of trying to head back to government.
I think you are massively misunderestimating Ian Lavery.
Comments
Bercow deserves nothing until we reach a firm conclusion to the bullying allegations against him personally and the organisation he led.
Systematic medical research is really only beginning:
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-01237-z
There seems to have been an enormous amount of misinformed comment about this - eg LBC went on for hours about Bercow not getting a Peerage in the New Years Honours List.
In fact, NOBODY got a Peerage in the New Years Honours list - Peerages (and there will surely be some) will be announced in the Dissolution Honours List.
Morgan and Goldsmith were announced individually as they were needed straight away.
Give an award to the official who cut his department’s spending significantly, while maintaining service levels, through the enhanced use of technology. Give an award to the first person to champion something that later became best practice everywhere, etc etc.
Not getting an honour is not being penalised in any sense whatsoever. Not unless you have some hideous sense of entitlement. Honours should be for exceptional behaviour. Saunders’ time as head of the CPS was in no sense exceptional.
... and I don’t think a imperial destroyer would do it, let alone a brick.
Few things are confirmed. It isn't confirmed that the Conservatives will win the next election. But you don't get Kevin Feige and Jon Favreau in unless you're serious, you don't open Star Wars: Galaxy Edge unless you're serious, you don't bring Ewan McGregor back unless you're serious. And, given that SW:ROS will probably break a billion worldwide despite being excoriated, one may assume they are very serious indeed.
Ask any junior lawyer in even the most high-powered law firm what they think of the management skills of illustrious senior partners and the results will range from eye-rolling to the unprintable.
People who are good managers are not valued as they are not producers.
(Mediocre politicians copy, great pols of staggering genius steal. ©The BJorg)
It does sometimes cause confusion.
But if you have a COO working for the head of the CPS and they have a clear joint shared understanding of what they are trying to achieve, both legally and from an organisational / effectiveness perspective, then yes it could work.
However I do think "Sith" should be a recognised religion. As there are only ever two they are easy to count in a census...
The real joy of Knives Out is how (until the end) it is wonderfully ambiguous it is whether Benoit Blanc is brilliant or a blithering idiot.
The other great joy is that it is how incredibly neatly every little detail is tied up.
But you knew I was going to do that...
It's one big problem was that Alden Ehrenreich neither looked, nor sounded like Harrison Ford. By contrast, in the turgid prequels, Ewan McGregor managed to get Alec Guinness's intonation pretty much spot on. You could believe he was a young Obi-Wan.
However a more subtle criticism is that it won't be influential. It's pitch perfect as a Blade Runner film, but will anybody copy it? I think the present-failure-future-classic sci-fi film of the last few years is 'Annihilation': the design on that film was gorgeous and it looked like nothing else.
No, Lucas should have made the Sequel Trilogy first, because it would have made things much more interesting. He could have told three completely new stories regarding the aftermath of the Battle of Endor and the building of the New Republic.
And then within the last four years, the Disney crew could have had a stab at the Prequels - it would have been really entertaining to see how they would have told those stories!
Labour are really doing a very bad job right now of trying to head back to government.
I'm holding my position - she's no cert but I've got her as a slightly superior result to most others.