Don't know about anybody else, but I'm only on this forum tonight because there's absolutely nothing I want to watch on any BBC channel. Shame. Might ask for a refund of part of my licence fee, pro rata.
Kevin Maguire @Kevin_Maguire · 6m Really feel for the family of Philip Mountbatten-Windsor but this public and media deification is OTT. I’ll make my way to the Tower
Note the need to present himself as a kind of martyr for saying it, re going to the Tower, rather than just make a criticism. Part of the template response as you cannot claim not to care, since you felt the need to comment, so make your caring seem more virtuous somehow.
As I said, I see it now as part of British royalist panto. A ritual.
First the royal death, then the screeching blanketing media coverage (which a lot of people watch, for various reasons), then the piously critical leftwing reaction (because they watch too much); Maguire comes half way between stages 2 and 3, where the first lefties affect faint but martyred offence
It's like dinner service at the court of Louis Quatorze
@scribblercat: Prince Philip was a stateless refugee. Remember that.
As was quite common for the royal families of Europe in that time, of course. There was even a book about it called The Republic of Kings.
His father seemed to have a bad end, too. Gambling away his money and reputation in the Cote d'Azur, while at least his mother did some good works in Greece.
His mother was very brave. During WW2 in Athens she sheltered a Jewish family from the Nazis. She's remembered as one of the Righteous in Yad Vashem and is buried in Jerusalem. Philip went to receive an award given to her after her death.
He was born in Greece. His mother spoke English and German (and went on to learn French and Greek). His father spoke Greek (but also Danish, German, French, English and Russian).
He was raised in France until aged 10, but I think had an English governess?
Philip was baptised in the Greek Orthodox Church, but claimed to feel “Danish”.
I thought he was multilingual. English, French and German. Reminds me of many Lebanese I know, who switch effortlessly between English, Arabic and French, frequently in the same sentence, e.g. "Hi, bonjour alaakum"
I worked with a Lebanese guy like that - absolutely amazing to watch him switch between languages
I do that with my family.
Which languages?
Italian, English and, occasionally, a bit of Neapolitan. Used to do it in French with my grandmother. My mother spoke French and Italian at home as a matter of course as her grandmother, who lived with them, was French.
I spoke Italian before I spoke English. When I went to university one of my friends used to comment that my English was not quite the English of a native.
I've been learning Italian, or - studio italiano per un anno. Ho iniziato a marzo l'anno scorso, è stato il mio lockdown regalo. È molto difficile.
Pian pianino ci arriverai
Slower than I'd like. I've picked up Javascript over the last few weeks without much difficulty. Real languages are a really difficult thing for me to learn, I scraped a C for GCSE french and I dropped Latin at the first possible opportunity in 3rd form.
Javascript never sticks for me. I learn it to achieve a task, and then forget it.
I think it's the odd way you define objects that always confuses the living daylights out of me.
You don’t need the old Object.prototype method any more, ES6+ has classes and constructors and is now universally supported in browsers and nodeJS. And if you don’t like the lack of strong typing, Typescript is your friend.
Malta will give you spending money if you stay there in a hotel this summer.
Meanwhile I see the French are boldly jumping straight into mixing and matching vaccines. Probably right, but a gamble similar to ours with the 12 week gap.
I can't see what possible negative comes from mixing vaccines - indeed, showing the immune system slightly different versions of the spike protein with different viral vectors seems highly likely to be more efficacious.
If your mental map is "do things strictly by the book, only do what's been tested", I can see the problem. And in some places, that may be necessary to get the public confidence to get sufficient jabs into sufficient people.
However, the bottom line is that viruses are dumb and Covid-19 is dumb even by the standards of viruses. Spain is happy (I think) with infection + 1 vaccination giving adequate protection; in practice giving people a single shot of anything is probably enough. (Except for the rubbish Chinese vaccine they've been using in Chile).
In related news, what's the latest vibe on whether the autumn boosters will actually be necessary? Obviously, it's prudent to prepare for them, but is there currently much evidence of Covid-19 evolving round the vaccine? (My amateur understanding is that the spike is a bit of a giveaway and you can't change it much without inhibiting the virus from working.)
All the evidence I have seen to date is that the vaccines will work well against the variants, the South African study of AZN notwithstanding. And, while there is some wiggle room for COVID to evolve both to escape vaccines and to remain infectious, it is not that much room.
I always thought Wales was the good one in the Union, even more committed than England, but look at this traitorous behaviour from the news - Scotland and NI are paying tribute, but Wales is merely 'reacting'?
I can already feel the *more militant* monarchist stirring within me
Twitter is full of sneering lefties and snarky takes
Some of them are very funny, some meh, some borderline offensive, but whatever. Taken en masse, however, they seem an assault on my identity. So we are silly and British and yes we are a simpering monarchy and Yes that's what we do and Yes we eat pork pies and curry and deep fried mars bars, often together, in the rain, yes the rain, oh yes the rain, and and and and and and and and you know what Fuck Off
THIS IS SPARTA
If you are worried about that may be you should use a dildo instead?
Kevin Maguire @Kevin_Maguire · 6m Really feel for the family of Philip Mountbatten-Windsor but this public and media deification is OTT. I’ll make my way to the Tower
Note the need to present himself as a kind of martyr for saying it, re going to the Tower, rather than just make a criticism. Part of the template response as you cannot claim not to care, since you felt the need to comment, so make your caring seem more virtuous somehow.
@scribblercat: Prince Philip was a stateless refugee. Remember that.
As was quite common for the royal families of Europe in that time, of course. There was even a book about it called The Republic of Kings.
His father seemed to have a bad end, too. Gambling away his money and reputation in the Cote d'Azur, while at least his mother did some good works in Greece.
His mother was very brave. During WW2 in Athens she sheltered a Jewish family from the Nazis. She's remembered as one of the Righteous in Yad Vashem and is buried in Jerusalem. Philip went to receive an award given to her after her death.
He was born in Greece. His mother spoke English and German (and went on to learn French and Greek). His father spoke Greek (but also Danish, German, French, English and Russian).
He was raised in France until aged 10, but I think had an English governess?
Philip was baptised in the Greek Orthodox Church, but claimed to feel “Danish”.
I thought he was multilingual. English, French and German. Reminds me of many Lebanese I know, who switch effortlessly between English, Arabic and French, frequently in the same sentence, e.g. "Hi, bonjour alaakum"
I worked with a Lebanese guy like that - absolutely amazing to watch him switch between languages
I do that with my family.
Which languages?
Italian, English and, occasionally, a bit of Neapolitan. Used to do it in French with my grandmother. My mother spoke French and Italian at home as a matter of course as her grandmother, who lived with them, was French.
I spoke Italian before I spoke English. When I went to university one of my friends used to comment that my English was not quite the English of a native.
I always thought Wales was the good one in the Union, even more committed than England, but look at this traitorous behaviour from the news - Scotland and NI are paying tribute, but Wales is merely 'reacting'?
I can already feel the *more militant* monarchist stirring within me
Twitter is full of sneering lefties and snarky takes
Some of them are very funny, some meh, some borderline offensive, but whatever. Taken en masse, however, they seem an assault on my identity. So we are silly and British and yes we are a simpering monarchy and tYes hat's what we do and Yes we eat pork pies and curry and deep fried mars bars, often together, in the rain, yes the rain, oh yes the rain, and and and and and and and and you know what Fuck Off
THIS IS SPARTA
Been on the juice again?
The People's Greek has died. Who isn't on hard liquor
I'm not. Lock me up as a traitor.
We're working on it, but there's a lot of people to get to, so it's important people remain home so they can be found.
Actually, we went up into Shaftesbury today for the first time in absolutely ages... Bought some bread and cakes from the bakers, and a couple of take-away coffees from Coffee#1, then sat in the sunshine on Park Walk near the top of Gold Hill, looking out over the Blackmore Vale in the warm April sun.
It was like a dimly-remembered vision of normality. Bloody marvellous!
Waitrose just sent me a deepest condolences email. How many other online suppliers are going to be doing the same?
Prince Philip probably would have described this as ridiculous.
Well, yes. But working royals know a lot of things about it is ridiculous but accept such must be part of the gig. So he'd probably see the funny side of it.
I always thought Wales was the good one in the Union, even more committed than England, but look at this traitorous behaviour from the news - Scotland and NI are paying tribute, but Wales is merely 'reacting'?
He was the Earl of Merioneth. That's Plaid territory. Treasonous separatist republicans. Explains everything.
Notice also how Northern Ireland is so far behind the times they are still in black and white. Makes sense.
Even the flames must be grey in Northern Ireland. A tragedy.
Waitrose just sent me a deepest condolences email. How many other online suppliers are going to be doing the same?
Prince Philip probably would have described this as ridiculous.
I have been thinking that about some of the coverage. I see even the Torygraph got close to that earlier by speculating that the 21-gun salutes et al planned for him al would have been dismissed by old Phillipos as a lot of silly bother. He had also apparently been strenuously trying to avoid the official 100-year birthday celebrations, which the courtiers kept trying to reschedule.
I always thought Wales was the good one in the Union, even more committed than England, but look at this traitorous behaviour from the news - Scotland and NI are paying tribute, but Wales is merely 'reacting'?
I can already feel the *more militant* monarchist stirring within me
Twitter is full of sneering lefties and snarky takes
Some of them are very funny, some meh, some borderline offensive, but whatever. Taken en masse, however, they seem an assault on my identity. So we are silly and British and yes we are a simpering monarchy and tYes hat's what we do and Yes we eat pork pies and curry and deep fried mars bars, often together, in the rain, yes the rain, oh yes the rain, and and and and and and and and you know what Fuck Off
THIS IS SPARTA
Been on the juice again?
The People's Greek has died. Who isn't on hard liquor
I'm not. Lock me up as a traitor.
We're working on it, but there's a lot of people to get to, so it's important people remain home so they can be found.
Actually, we went up into Shaftesbury today for the first time in absolutely ages... Bought some bread and cakes from the bakers, and a couple of take-away coffees from Coffee#1, then sat in the sunshine on Park Walk near the top of Gold Hill, looking out over the Blackmore Vale in the warm April sun.
It was like a dimly-remembered vision of normality. Bloody marvellous!
Good for you. I cannot wait for my first pub lunch on Monday. I might weep. Seriously
Kevin Maguire @Kevin_Maguire · 6m Really feel for the family of Philip Mountbatten-Windsor but this public and media deification is OTT. I’ll make my way to the Tower
Note the need to present himself as a kind of martyr for saying it, re going to the Tower, rather than just make a criticism. Part of the template response as you cannot claim not to care, since you felt the need to comment, so make your caring seem more virtuous somehow.
I always thought Wales was the good one in the Union, even more committed than England, but look at this traitorous behaviour from the news - Scotland and NI are paying tribute, but Wales is merely 'reacting'?
I can already feel the *more militant* monarchist stirring within me
Twitter is full of sneering lefties and snarky takes
Some of them are very funny, some meh, some borderline offensive, but whatever. Taken en masse, however, they seem an assault on my identity. So we are silly and British and yes we are a simpering monarchy and tYes hat's what we do and Yes we eat pork pies and curry and deep fried mars bars, often together, in the rain, yes the rain, oh yes the rain, and and and and and and and and you know what Fuck Off
THIS IS SPARTA
Been on the juice again?
The People's Greek has died. Who isn't on hard liquor
I'm not. Lock me up as a traitor.
We're working on it, but there's a lot of people to get to, so it's important people remain home so they can be found.
Actually, we went up into Shaftesbury today for the first time in absolutely ages... Bought some bread and cakes from the bakers, and a couple of take-away coffees from Coffee#1, then sat in the sunshine on Park Walk near the top of Gold Hill, looking out over the Blackmore Vale in the warm April sun.
It was like a dimly-remembered vision of normality. Bloody marvellous!
Good for you. I cannot wait for my first pub lunch on Monday. I might weep. Seriously
A very odd moment
15 years ago my wife wept when she went into a Ralph’s supermarket. I still tease her...
Waitrose just sent me a deepest condolences email. How many other online suppliers are going to be doing the same?
Prince Philip probably would have described this as ridiculous.
I have been thinking that about some of the coverage. I see even the Telegraph got close to that earlier by speculating that the 21-gun salutes et al planned for him al would have been dismissed by old Phillipos as a lot of silly bother. He had also apparently been strenuously trying to avoid any official 100-year birthday celebrations which the courtiers kept trying to reschedule.
I always thought Wales was the good one in the Union, even more committed than England, but look at this traitorous behaviour from the news - Scotland and NI are paying tribute, but Wales is merely 'reacting'?
I can already feel the *more militant* monarchist stirring within me
Twitter is full of sneering lefties and snarky takes
Some of them are very funny, some meh, some borderline offensive, but whatever. Taken en masse, however, they seem an assault on my identity. So we are silly and British and yes we are a simpering monarchy and tYes hat's what we do and Yes we eat pork pies and curry and deep fried mars bars, often together, in the rain, yes the rain, oh yes the rain, and and and and and and and and you know what Fuck Off
THIS IS SPARTA
Been on the juice again?
The People's Greek has died. Who isn't on hard liquor
I'm not. Lock me up as a traitor.
We're working on it, but there's a lot of people to get to, so it's important people remain home so they can be found.
Actually, we went up into Shaftesbury today for the first time in absolutely ages... Bought some bread and cakes from the bakers, and a couple of take-away coffees from Coffee#1, then sat in the sunshine on Park Walk near the top of Gold Hill, looking out over the Blackmore Vale in the warm April sun.
It was like a dimly-remembered vision of normality. Bloody marvellous!
I went to the dentist. The staff were all masked up as though they worked at Porton Down.
I always thought Wales was the good one in the Union, even more committed than England, but look at this traitorous behaviour from the news - Scotland and NI are paying tribute, but Wales is merely 'reacting'?
I can already feel the *more militant* monarchist stirring within me
Twitter is full of sneering lefties and snarky takes
Some of them are very funny, some meh, some borderline offensive, but whatever. Taken en masse, however, they seem an assault on my identity. So we are silly and British and yes we are a simpering monarchy and Yes that's what we do and Yes we eat pork pies and curry and deep fried mars bars, often together, in the rain, yes the rain, oh yes the rain, and and and and and and and and you know what Fuck Off
THIS IS SPARTA
Haven't you spent the last week complaining about the weather ?
Nothing more British than that.
I have been delighted by the endless snow showers over the last week...
The Prince Philip Movement is a religious sect followed by the Kastom people around Yaohnanen village on the southern island of Tanna in Vanuatu. It is a cargo cult of the Yaohnanen tribe, who believe in the divinity of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, the consort to Queen Elizabeth II."
I always thought Wales was the good one in the Union, even more committed than England, but look at this traitorous behaviour from the news - Scotland and NI are paying tribute, but Wales is merely 'reacting'?
I can already feel the *more militant* monarchist stirring within me
Twitter is full of sneering lefties and snarky takes
Some of them are very funny, some meh, some borderline offensive, but whatever. Taken en masse, however, they seem an assault on my identity. So we are silly and British and yes we are a simpering monarchy and tYes hat's what we do and Yes we eat pork pies and curry and deep fried mars bars, often together, in the rain, yes the rain, oh yes the rain, and and and and and and and and you know what Fuck Off
THIS IS SPARTA
Been on the juice again?
The People's Greek has died. Who isn't on hard liquor
I'm not. Lock me up as a traitor.
We're working on it, but there's a lot of people to get to, so it's important people remain home so they can be found.
Actually, we went up into Shaftesbury today for the first time in absolutely ages... Bought some bread and cakes from the bakers, and a couple of take-away coffees from Coffee#1, then sat in the sunshine on Park Walk near the top of Gold Hill, looking out over the Blackmore Vale in the warm April sun.
It was like a dimly-remembered vision of normality. Bloody marvellous!
Good for you. I cannot wait for my first pub lunch on Monday. I might weep. Seriously
A very odd moment
Haircut first, then lunch. The weather looks to be turning in our favour for the weekend, 16 degrees and sunny is good enough to drink in.
I always thought Wales was the good one in the Union, even more committed than England, but look at this traitorous behaviour from the news - Scotland and NI are paying tribute, but Wales is merely 'reacting'?
I can already feel the *more militant* monarchist stirring within me
Twitter is full of sneering lefties and snarky takes
Some of them are very funny, some meh, some borderline offensive, but whatever. Taken en masse, however, they seem an assault on my identity. So we are silly and British and yes we are a simpering monarchy and Yes that's what we do and Yes we eat pork pies and curry and deep fried mars bars, often together, in the rain, yes the rain, oh yes the rain, and and and and and and and and you know what Fuck Off
THIS IS SPARTA
Haven't you spent the last week complaining about the weather ?
Nothing more British than that.
I have been delighted by the endless snow showers over the last week...
I always thought Wales was the good one in the Union, even more committed than England, but look at this traitorous behaviour from the news - Scotland and NI are paying tribute, but Wales is merely 'reacting'?
I can already feel the *more militant* monarchist stirring within me
Twitter is full of sneering lefties and snarky takes
Some of them are very funny, some meh, some borderline offensive, but whatever. Taken en masse, however, they seem an assault on my identity. So we are silly and British and yes we are a simpering monarchy and tYes hat's what we do and Yes we eat pork pies and curry and deep fried mars bars, often together, in the rain, yes the rain, oh yes the rain, and and and and and and and and you know what Fuck Off
THIS IS SPARTA
Been on the juice again?
The People's Greek has died. Who isn't on hard liquor
I'm not. Lock me up as a traitor.
We're working on it, but there's a lot of people to get to, so it's important people remain home so they can be found.
Actually, we went up into Shaftesbury today for the first time in absolutely ages... Bought some bread and cakes from the bakers, and a couple of take-away coffees from Coffee#1, then sat in the sunshine on Park Walk near the top of Gold Hill, looking out over the Blackmore Vale in the warm April sun.
It was like a dimly-remembered vision of normality. Bloody marvellous!
Alright, well we'll call off the arrest squad for now then. Seems a shame to ruin such a lovely day for you.
It must be very difficult not being with his family. Philip, more than in most families, strikes me as the glue in that one. Whatever has happened and whatever has been said, it's time to move on so Harry can be welcomed home, if that's what he wants.
I always thought Wales was the good one in the Union, even more committed than England, but look at this traitorous behaviour from the news - Scotland and NI are paying tribute, but Wales is merely 'reacting'?
I can already feel the *more militant* monarchist stirring within me
Twitter is full of sneering lefties and snarky takes
Some of them are very funny, some meh, some borderline offensive, but whatever. Taken en masse, however, they seem an assault on my identity. So we are silly and British and yes we are a simpering monarchy and Yes that's what we do and Yes we eat pork pies and curry and deep fried mars bars, often together, in the rain, yes the rain, oh yes the rain, and and and and and and and and you know what Fuck Off
I always thought Wales was the good one in the Union, even more committed than England, but look at this traitorous behaviour from the news - Scotland and NI are paying tribute, but Wales is merely 'reacting'?
I can already feel the *more militant* monarchist stirring within me
Twitter is full of sneering lefties and snarky takes
Some of them are very funny, some meh, some borderline offensive, but whatever. Taken en masse, however, they seem an assault on my identity. So we are silly and British and yes we are a simpering monarchy and tYes hat's what we do and Yes we eat pork pies and curry and deep fried mars bars, often together, in the rain, yes the rain, oh yes the rain, and and and and and and and and you know what Fuck Off
THIS IS SPARTA
Been on the juice again?
The People's Greek has died. Who isn't on hard liquor
I'm not. Lock me up as a traitor.
We're working on it, but there's a lot of people to get to, so it's important people remain home so they can be found.
Actually, we went up into Shaftesbury today for the first time in absolutely ages... Bought some bread and cakes from the bakers, and a couple of take-away coffees from Coffee#1, then sat in the sunshine on Park Walk near the top of Gold Hill, looking out over the Blackmore Vale in the warm April sun.
It was like a dimly-remembered vision of normality. Bloody marvellous!
Good for you. I cannot wait for my first pub lunch on Monday. I might weep. Seriously
A very odd moment
15 years ago my wife wept when she went into a Ralph’s supermarket. I still tease her...
Waitrose just sent me a deepest condolences email. How many other online suppliers are going to be doing the same?
Got the same. I suspect they think it is appropriate because they have a Royal Warrant. Not sure which other Supermarkets have that.
Of course they probably also know their target audience.
Why does any supermarket even have your email address? Yet people bang on about unwanted spam....shakes head
Because, having a Waitrose credit card, I get discounts and significant money back vouchers from them. We get around £50 a quarter in vouchers which makes a nice dent in the shopping bill.
I always thought Wales was the good one in the Union, even more committed than England, but look at this traitorous behaviour from the news - Scotland and NI are paying tribute, but Wales is merely 'reacting'?
I can already feel the *more militant* monarchist stirring within me
Twitter is full of sneering lefties and snarky takes
Some of them are very funny, some meh, some borderline offensive, but whatever. Taken en masse, however, they seem an assault on my identity. So we are silly and British and yes we are a simpering monarchy and tYes hat's what we do and Yes we eat pork pies and curry and deep fried mars bars, often together, in the rain, yes the rain, oh yes the rain, and and and and and and and and you know what Fuck Off
THIS IS SPARTA
Been on the juice again?
The People's Greek has died. Who isn't on hard liquor
I'm not. Lock me up as a traitor.
We're working on it, but there's a lot of people to get to, so it's important people remain home so they can be found.
Actually, we went up into Shaftesbury today for the first time in absolutely ages... Bought some bread and cakes from the bakers, and a couple of take-away coffees from Coffee#1, then sat in the sunshine on Park Walk near the top of Gold Hill, looking out over the Blackmore Vale in the warm April sun.
It was like a dimly-remembered vision of normality. Bloody marvellous!
Good for you. I cannot wait for my first pub lunch on Monday. I might weep. Seriously
A very odd moment
Haircut first, then lunch. The weather looks to be turning in our favour for the weekend, 16 degrees and sunny is good enough to drink in.
Yes, absolutely. 16C and sunny will feel like the Maldives after the last week
And deffo good enough for a chilled bottle of Kiwi Sauv Blanc in a Highgate beer garden. With an unctuous risotto
I always thought Wales was the good one in the Union, even more committed than England, but look at this traitorous behaviour from the news - Scotland and NI are paying tribute, but Wales is merely 'reacting'?
I can already feel the *more militant* monarchist stirring within me
Twitter is full of sneering lefties and snarky takes
Some of them are very funny, some meh, some borderline offensive, but whatever. Taken en masse, however, they seem an assault on my identity. So we are silly and British and yes we are a simpering monarchy and tYes hat's what we do and Yes we eat pork pies and curry and deep fried mars bars, often together, in the rain, yes the rain, oh yes the rain, and and and and and and and and you know what Fuck Off
THIS IS SPARTA
Been on the juice again?
The People's Greek has died. Who isn't on hard liquor
I'm not. Lock me up as a traitor.
We're working on it, but there's a lot of people to get to, so it's important people remain home so they can be found.
Actually, we went up into Shaftesbury today for the first time in absolutely ages... Bought some bread and cakes from the bakers, and a couple of take-away coffees from Coffee#1, then sat in the sunshine on Park Walk near the top of Gold Hill, looking out over the Blackmore Vale in the warm April sun.
It was like a dimly-remembered vision of normality. Bloody marvellous!
Alright, well we'll call off the arrest squad for now then. Seems a shame to ruin such a lovely day for you.
Thanks. Just track my phone / car licence plate / debit/credit cards if you need to arrest me urgently.
Waitrose just sent me a deepest condolences email. How many other online suppliers are going to be doing the same?
Got the same. I suspect they think it is appropriate because they have a Royal Warrant. Not sure which other Supermarkets have that.
Of course they probably also know their target audience.
Why does any supermarket even have your email address? Yet people bang on about unwanted spam....shakes head
Because, having a Waitrose credit card, I get discounts and significant money back vouchers from them. We get around £50 a quarter in vouchers which makes a nice dent in the shopping bill.
Waitrose just sent me a deepest condolences email. How many other online suppliers are going to be doing the same?
Got the same. I suspect they think it is appropriate because they have a Royal Warrant. Not sure which other Supermarkets have that.
Of course they probably also know their target audience.
Why does any supermarket even have your email address? Yet people bang on about unwanted spam....shakes head
Because, having a Waitrose credit card, I get discounts and significant money back vouchers from them. We get around £50 a quarter in vouchers which makes a nice dent in the shopping bill.
It must be very difficult not being with his family. Philip, more than in most families, strikes me as the glue in that one. Whatever has happened and whatever has been said, it's time to move on so Harry can be welcomed home, if that's what he wants.
I doubt he will be forgiven that quickly. Give him 10 days in a Premier inn quarantine Hotel first...
@scribblercat: Prince Philip was a stateless refugee. Remember that.
As was quite common for the royal families of Europe in that time, of course. There was even a book about it called The Republic of Kings.
His father seemed to have a bad end, too. Gambling away his money and reputation in the Cote d'Azur, while at least his mother did some good works in Greece.
His mother was very brave. During WW2 in Athens she sheltered a Jewish family from the Nazis. She's remembered as one of the Righteous in Yad Vashem and is buried in Jerusalem. Philip went to receive an award given to her after her death.
He was born in Greece. His mother spoke English and German (and went on to learn French and Greek). His father spoke Greek (but also Danish, German, French, English and Russian).
He was raised in France until aged 10, but I think had an English governess?
Philip was baptised in the Greek Orthodox Church, but claimed to feel “Danish”.
I thought he was multilingual. English, French and German. Reminds me of many Lebanese I know, who switch effortlessly between English, Arabic and French, frequently in the same sentence, e.g. "Hi, bonjour alaakum"
I worked with a Lebanese guy like that - absolutely amazing to watch him switch between languages
I do that with my family.
Which languages?
Italian, English and, occasionally, a bit of Neapolitan. Used to do it in French with my grandmother. My mother spoke French and Italian at home as a matter of course as her grandmother, who lived with them, was French.
I spoke Italian before I spoke English. When I went to university one of my friends used to comment that my English was not quite the English of a native.
I've been learning Italian, or - studio italiano per un anno. Ho iniziato a marzo l'anno scorso, è stato il mio lockdown regalo. È molto difficile.
Pian pianino ci arriverai
Slower than I'd like. I've picked up Javascript over the last few weeks without much difficulty. Real languages are a really difficult thing for me to learn, I scraped a C for GCSE french and I dropped Latin at the first possible opportunity in 3rd form.
Javascript never sticks for me. I learn it to achieve a task, and then forget it.
I think it's the odd way you define objects that always confuses the living daylights out of me.
You don’t need the old Object.prototype method any more, ES6+ has classes and constructors and is now universally supported in browsers and nodeJS. And if you don’t like the lack of strong typing, Typescript is your friend.
I'm OK without strong typing, and overjoyed that JS has moved on...
Waitrose just sent me a deepest condolences email. How many other online suppliers are going to be doing the same?
Got the same. I suspect they think it is appropriate because they have a Royal Warrant. Not sure which other Supermarkets have that.
Of course they probably also know their target audience.
Why does any supermarket even have your email address? Yet people bang on about unwanted spam....shakes head
Because, having a Waitrose credit card, I get discounts and significant money back vouchers from them. We get around £50 a quarter in vouchers which makes a nice dent in the shopping bill.
I refuse to have a credit card in any case and I regard 50 off a quartwe as not enough of an inducement....could probably get about the same if I got a tesco clubcard but not happening
Yes, I do too. It's a time he should be with his family, not isolated from them halfway across the world.
CNN: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reacted to the news of the death of Prince Philip Friday by posting a message on the website of their charitable organization, Archewell.
Set on a full-screen dark background, the message reads: “In loving memory of His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, 1921-2021. Thank you for your service… you will be greatly missed.”
Waitrose just sent me a deepest condolences email. How many other online suppliers are going to be doing the same?
Got the same. I suspect they think it is appropriate because they have a Royal Warrant. Not sure which other Supermarkets have that.
Of course they probably also know their target audience.
Why does any supermarket even have your email address? Yet people bang on about unwanted spam....shakes head
Because, having a Waitrose credit card, I get discounts and significant money back vouchers from them. We get around £50 a quarter in vouchers which makes a nice dent in the shopping bill.
I refuse to have a credit card in any case and I regard 50 off a quartwe as not enough of an inducement....could probably get about the same if I got a tesco clubcard but not happening
Your choice. I am very happy with mine. Since I pay off my card in full every month it is simply and easy way to buy stuff.
Fortunately Dorset Council have sent me an email entitled "The Duke of Edinburgh has died". Never let it be said that Dorset CC keeps its citizens in the dark.
Waitrose just sent me a deepest condolences email. How many other online suppliers are going to be doing the same?
Got the same. I suspect they think it is appropriate because they have a Royal Warrant. Not sure which other Supermarkets have that.
Of course they probably also know their target audience.
Why does any supermarket even have your email address? Yet people bang on about unwanted spam....shakes head
Because, having a Waitrose credit card, I get discounts and significant money back vouchers from them. We get around £50 a quarter in vouchers which makes a nice dent in the shopping bill.
Waitrose just sent me a deepest condolences email. How many other online suppliers are going to be doing the same?
Got the same. I suspect they think it is appropriate because they have a Royal Warrant. Not sure which other Supermarkets have that.
Of course they probably also know their target audience.
Why does any supermarket even have your email address? Yet people bang on about unwanted spam....shakes head
Because, having a Waitrose credit card, I get discounts and significant money back vouchers from them. We get around £50 a quarter in vouchers which makes a nice dent in the shopping bill.
Brings it back down to Sainsbury's prices ;-)
But I get the vouchers no matter where I use the card. I actually spend very little in Waitrose but use the card for all my online and shop purchases whoever I am buying from.
Waitrose just sent me a deepest condolences email. How many other online suppliers are going to be doing the same?
Got the same. I suspect they think it is appropriate because they have a Royal Warrant. Not sure which other Supermarkets have that.
Of course they probably also know their target audience.
Why does any supermarket even have your email address? Yet people bang on about unwanted spam....shakes head
Because, having a Waitrose credit card, I get discounts and significant money back vouchers from them. We get around £50 a quarter in vouchers which makes a nice dent in the shopping bill.
I refuse to have a credit card in any case and I regard 50 off a quartwe as not enough of an inducement....could probably get about the same if I got a tesco clubcard but not happening
Waitrose just sent me a deepest condolences email. How many other online suppliers are going to be doing the same?
Got the same. I suspect they think it is appropriate because they have a Royal Warrant. Not sure which other Supermarkets have that.
Of course they probably also know their target audience.
Why does any supermarket even have your email address? Yet people bang on about unwanted spam....shakes head
Because, having a Waitrose credit card, I get discounts and significant money back vouchers from them. We get around £50 a quarter in vouchers which makes a nice dent in the shopping bill.
I refuse to have a credit card in any case and I regard 50 off a quartwe as not enough of an inducement....could probably get about the same if I got a tesco clubcard but not happening
The technical term is price discrimination. The point of vouchers, rather than simply cheaper prices, is partly psychology, but mostly a means of targeting discounts at people for whom they are worth going through a bit of admin hassle for. People like you who don’t need the discount don’t bother, which is the whole idea.
Fortunately Dorset Council have sent me an email entitled "The Duke of Edinburgh has died". Never let it be said that Dorset CC keeps its citizens in the dark.
Clearly Dorset worries it has residents who have stayed away from TV, radio or internet news all day, but are still reading their emails. Perhaps Dorset even still has Blackberry users?
I always thought Wales was the good one in the Union, even more committed than England, but look at this traitorous behaviour from the news - Scotland and NI are paying tribute, but Wales is merely 'reacting'?
I can already feel the *more militant* monarchist stirring within me
Twitter is full of sneering lefties and snarky takes
Some of them are very funny, some meh, some borderline offensive, but whatever. Taken en masse, however, they seem an assault on my identity. So we are silly and British and yes we are a simpering monarchy and tYes hat's what we do and Yes we eat pork pies and curry and deep fried mars bars, often together, in the rain, yes the rain, oh yes the rain, and and and and and and and and you know what Fuck Off
THIS IS SPARTA
Been on the juice again?
The People's Greek has died. Who isn't on hard liquor
I'm not. Lock me up as a traitor.
We're working on it, but there's a lot of people to get to, so it's important people remain home so they can be found.
Actually, we went up into Shaftesbury today for the first time in absolutely ages... Bought some bread and cakes from the bakers, and a couple of take-away coffees from Coffee#1, then sat in the sunshine on Park Walk near the top of Gold Hill, looking out over the Blackmore Vale in the warm April sun.
It was like a dimly-remembered vision of normality. Bloody marvellous!
Good for you. I cannot wait for my first pub lunch on Monday. I might weep. Seriously
A very odd moment
15 years ago my wife wept when she went into a Ralph’s supermarket. I still tease her...
It's very sad that Prince Philip has died but I have to say I find it rather odd how much time is devoted to it. I don't mean to sound harsh when I say that - I just think it's a bit ridiculous.
It's very sad that Prince Philip has died but I have to say I find it rather odd how much time is devoted to it. I don't mean to sound harsh when I say that - I just think it's a bit ridiculous.
Perhaps it's my republicanism coming through.
No, I think Prince Philip would have agreed with you.
Waitrose just sent me a deepest condolences email. How many other online suppliers are going to be doing the same?
Got the same. I suspect they think it is appropriate because they have a Royal Warrant. Not sure which other Supermarkets have that.
Of course they probably also know their target audience.
Why does any supermarket even have your email address? Yet people bang on about unwanted spam....shakes head
Because, having a Waitrose credit card, I get discounts and significant money back vouchers from them. We get around £50 a quarter in vouchers which makes a nice dent in the shopping bill.
I refuse to have a credit card in any case and I regard 50 off a quartwe as not enough of an inducement....could probably get about the same if I got a tesco clubcard but not happening
Presumably you have a debit card though, right?
Yes I use it to get cash out to spend and always use the same cashpoint....your point was?
It's very sad that Prince Philip has died but I have to say I find it rather odd how much time is devoted to it. I don't mean to sound harsh when I say that - I just think it's a bit ridiculous.
Perhaps it's my republicanism coming through.
I don't think it is a republican thing, but being completely serious I have been baffled by the number of people who say they think it odd how much time is devoted to it (not about how ridiculous it may be, that's a given).
There are far less notable stories that get days and days of coverage, and the death of the consort to the Head of State getting blanket coverage for even one day seems odd to people? I don't get it.
If it is still like this in 2 or 3 days, which it may well be, sure, but today? Ridiculous, maybe, but odd it certainly is not.
Waitrose has stuck its condolences up on its home page now, while Sainsbury’s leads with ‘Aldi price match’ and Tesco shoots at Leon with ‘Good evening - fancy a drink?’
It's very sad that Prince Philip has died but I have to say I find it rather odd how much time is devoted to it. I don't mean to sound harsh when I say that - I just think it's a bit ridiculous.
Perhaps it's my republicanism coming through.
No, I think Prince Philip would have agreed with you.
I don't think he'd think it was odd - his life had been under the spotlight, of course his death would be. Ridiculous, sure.
I'd not be surprised if we'd been told his last words had been similar to those of Vespasian.
Waitrose just sent me a deepest condolences email. How many other online suppliers are going to be doing the same?
Got the same. I suspect they think it is appropriate because they have a Royal Warrant. Not sure which other Supermarkets have that.
Of course they probably also know their target audience.
Why does any supermarket even have your email address? Yet people bang on about unwanted spam....shakes head
Are you really as dim as you appear? The supermarket has a customer's email because they have shopped online or have given their email for some reason in the past.
If you don't want to recieve an email from a supermarket (or any other legitimate business) you can very easily unsubscribe, thanks to an EU initiative called GDPR (yay!)
Actually unsubscribe is a British thing that caught on elsewhere. GDPR has nothing to do with unsubscribing from email mailing lists. We have a GDPR guy at work and even he struggles to explain to data people what it's really for.
Surely facilitating 'unsubscribe' is necessary to comply with Article 17?
I well remember the 'woe is me' brigade on here in May 2018 in the run up to the 'end of the world' that GDPR was going to cause. In fact, of course, GDPR has been overwhelming good for ordinary individuals.
GDPR has been overwhelmingly 'meh' for ordinary citizens.
Waitrose just sent me a deepest condolences email. How many other online suppliers are going to be doing the same?
Got the same. I suspect they think it is appropriate because they have a Royal Warrant. Not sure which other Supermarkets have that.
Of course they probably also know their target audience.
Why does any supermarket even have your email address? Yet people bang on about unwanted spam....shakes head
Are you really as dim as you appear? The supermarket has a customer's email because they have shopped online or have given their email for some reason in the past.
If you don't want to recieve an email from a supermarket (or any other legitimate business) you can very easily unsubscribe, thanks to an EU initiative called GDPR (yay!)
Actually unsubscribe is a British thing that caught on elsewhere. GDPR has nothing to do with unsubscribing from email mailing lists. We have a GDPR guy at work and even he struggles to explain to data people what it's really for.
Surely facilitating 'unsubscribe' is necessary to comply with Article 17?
I well remember the 'woe is me' brigade on here in May 2018 in the run up to the 'end of the world' that GDPR was going to cause. In fact, of course, GDPR has been overwhelming good for ordinary individuals.
GDPR has been overwhelmingly 'meh' for ordinary citizens.
There are good ideas but poorly executed.
For instance cookies that are not necessary should be disabled by default, if you want to enable them you go into the settings and turn them on. Sites are able to get around the current regulations by having a big "agree all" button which turns them all on, even if the toggles are set to off by default.
Waitrose just sent me a deepest condolences email. How many other online suppliers are going to be doing the same?
Prince Philip probably would have described this as ridiculous.
He told me that 3D printing was ridiculous, simply producing “more junk that nobody wants”. With spam emails he might have been nearer the mark.
To be fair I think that is an age thing.
I spend my life trying to get rid of stuff but it continues to accumulate
My mother who is nearly ninety has been promising to have a clear out for at least twenty years now.
Every time I see her she’s going on about how she needs to spend a day clearing everything out, and I have lost count of the number of times I have identified potential time slots, with no success.
Having studied the matter closely, my conclusion is that what is holding her back is that after a clearout the volume of the remaining 75% of stuff that she has retained, properly arranged, is greater than the space the full 100% of stuff occupied when it was all shoved together into the back of a cupboard or drawer. This expansion of cleared out material acts as a deterrent to further effort.
It's very sad that Prince Philip has died but I have to say I find it rather odd how much time is devoted to it. I don't mean to sound harsh when I say that - I just think it's a bit ridiculous.
Perhaps it's my republicanism coming through.
I agree with you, it is a little over the top, and the Prince probably would have regarded it as too much of a fuss. But the TV companies don't want to be criticised for not doing enough.
Waitrose just sent me a deepest condolences email. How many other online suppliers are going to be doing the same?
Got the same. I suspect they think it is appropriate because they have a Royal Warrant. Not sure which other Supermarkets have that.
Of course they probably also know their target audience.
Why does any supermarket even have your email address? Yet people bang on about unwanted spam....shakes head
Are you really as dim as you appear? The supermarket has a customer's email because they have shopped online or have given their email for some reason in the past.
If you don't want to recieve an email from a supermarket (or any other legitimate business) you can very easily unsubscribe, thanks to an EU initiative called GDPR (yay!)
Actually unsubscribe is a British thing that caught on elsewhere. GDPR has nothing to do with unsubscribing from email mailing lists. We have a GDPR guy at work and even he struggles to explain to data people what it's really for.
Surely facilitating 'unsubscribe' is necessary to comply with Article 17?
I well remember the 'woe is me' brigade on here in May 2018 in the run up to the 'end of the world' that GDPR was going to cause. In fact, of course, GDPR has been overwhelming good for ordinary individuals.
GDPR has been overwhelmingly 'meh' for ordinary citizens.
There are good ideas but poorly executed.
For instance cookies that are not necessary should be disabled by default, if you want to enable them you go into the settings and turn them on. Sites are able to get around the current regulations by having a big "agree all" button which turns them all on, even if the toggles are set to off by default.
No they were poor idea's executed to the letter. As with everything else it the eu passes laws about the internet without actually bothering to try and understand it. The eu isn't alone either, add in every other governement. Though none expressed their ignorance so well as Malcolm Turnbull when he said about encryption "The laws of mathematics are very commendable, but the only law that applies in Australia is the law of Australia
It's very sad that Prince Philip has died but I have to say I find it rather odd how much time is devoted to it. I don't mean to sound harsh when I say that - I just think it's a bit ridiculous.
Perhaps it's my republicanism coming through.
I agree with you, it is a little over the top, and the Prince probably would have regarded it as too much of a fuss.
He battled to make sure he had *no* state funeral and other trappings, so that's very likely right. At root he probably would have just preferred a bit of cheerful black humour before moving on.
It is a half-end of a postwar era, though, as a landmark.
Already emailed my future mp and got an actual hand written response agreeing they are a bad thing
Wait: you'll tell your local Conservative MP your email, but not Waitrose?
You have some very strange priorities my friend.
I have an email address I use specifically for mps, just as I have an email address I use for here and for job applications. Mostly if I need an email address for something I just generate it then never log on again after done
It's very sad that Prince Philip has died but I have to say I find it rather odd how much time is devoted to it. I don't mean to sound harsh when I say that - I just think it's a bit ridiculous.
Perhaps it's my republicanism coming through.
I agree with you, it is a little over the top, and the Prince probably would have regarded it as too much of a fuss. But the TV companies don't want to be criticised for not doing enough.
That would be a fun complaint to make. Complain that they’re not taking it seriously enough, and should be playing the funeral March on continuous loop on the radio with a voiceover recounting minute by minute the story of his final hours?
And closing down BBC4 when some of its viewers may have lost their remote control down the crack in the sofa and be unable to access other channels is criminal neglect on such a momentous day.
The BBC's slightly over-the-top contributions to royal affairs also tend to be partly because these are rare opportunities to conclusively defend itself from accusations of being excessively metropolitan, or liberal.
It's very sad that Prince Philip has died but I have to say I find it rather odd how much time is devoted to it. I don't mean to sound harsh when I say that - I just think it's a bit ridiculous.
Perhaps it's my republicanism coming through.
I don't think it is a republican thing, but being completely serious I have been baffled by the number of people who say they think it odd how much time is devoted to it (not about how ridiculous it may be, that's a given).
There are far less notable stories that get days and days of coverage, and the death of the consort to the Head of State getting blanket coverage for even one day seems odd to people? I don't get it.
If it is still like this in 2 or 3 days, which it may well be, sure, but today? Ridiculous, maybe, but odd it certainly is not.
Well I'm a vague republican - but I'm kind of glad we can mark this sort of occasion as a nation. It is, after all, the death of the consort of the head of state, and a man who has been performing that role, in the service of queen and country, for approaching 70 years. The fact that I might have chosen a different method for choosing that head of state is slightly tangential to the issue. And it's refreshing not to be responding to absolutely everything with cynicism.
That said, while I'm not surprised that the BBC is focusing on this full time for now, I'm slightly surprised it's doing it to the exclusion of everything else on all its channels. Doesn't really matter these days - who watches telly which is actually on now any more? I knew something was up earlier when I got into the car just after two and heard XS Manchester (usual offerings: unchallenging indie music from the early 90s) playing 'Nothing Else Matters' by Metallica. It had clearly drawn up a playlist of sad/wistful/reflective songs which went slightly, but only slightly, outside of its normal boundaries, devoid of adverts or DJ chatter and with a half-hourly bulletin on the death of the duke. The tone of the music was probably right, but little of it bore too much scrutiny ('Fix You'? 'Run'?).
As it is I've been doing something far sadder than sycophantically watching royal coverage (or performatively moaning about the same), which, btw, is always over the top. I've been going over the candidates for my local council's election
Greens are well organised. A couple of elections ago they had five candidates, now they have over 65. Probably still won't win anything, but well done them for putting effort in, it's more candidates than Labour are putting up.
It's very sad that Prince Philip has died but I have to say I find it rather odd how much time is devoted to it. I don't mean to sound harsh when I say that - I just think it's a bit ridiculous.
Perhaps it's my republicanism coming through.
I am a monarchist but I agree with you. But I also thought the fuss about Diana's death was way over the top.
It's very sad that Prince Philip has died but I have to say I find it rather odd how much time is devoted to it. I don't mean to sound harsh when I say that - I just think it's a bit ridiculous.
Perhaps it's my republicanism coming through.
I am a monarchist but I agree with you. But I also thought the fuss about Diana's death was way over the top.
Me too. As a friend of mine said after Diana's death, I was more upset when Freddie Mercury died.
I always thought Wales was the good one in the Union, even more committed than England, but look at this traitorous behaviour from the news - Scotland and NI are paying tribute, but Wales is merely 'reacting'?
I can already feel the *more militant* monarchist stirring within me
Twitter is full of sneering lefties and snarky takes
Some of them are very funny, some meh, some borderline offensive, but whatever. Taken en masse, however, they seem an assault on my identity. So we are silly and British and yes we are a simpering monarchy and tYes hat's what we do and Yes we eat pork pies and curry and deep fried mars bars, often together, in the rain, yes the rain, oh yes the rain, and and and and and and and and you know what Fuck Off
THIS IS SPARTA
Been on the juice again?
The People's Greek has died. Who isn't on hard liquor
I'm not. Lock me up as a traitor.
We're working on it, but there's a lot of people to get to, so it's important people remain home so they can be found.
Actually, we went up into Shaftesbury today for the first time in absolutely ages... Bought some bread and cakes from the bakers, and a couple of take-away coffees from Coffee#1, then sat in the sunshine on Park Walk near the top of Gold Hill, looking out over the Blackmore Vale in the warm April sun.
It was like a dimly-remembered vision of normality. Bloody marvellous!
Good for you. I cannot wait for my first pub lunch on Monday. I might weep. Seriously
A very odd moment
15 years ago my wife wept when she went into a Ralph’s supermarket. I still tease her...
I weep if I have to go to our local Ralph's.
Personally, I'm more of an Erewhon kind of guy.
We don’t all have your kind of money
Ouch. (And, for the record, we do actually do our weekly shops at Ralph's, so I was just being silly.)
It is rare for long drama series to end on a high. This might. Incredible sets. Amazon TV has so much money: it is like a Hollywood epic, but this is done episode after episode
Also written, significantly, by Michael Hirst, who is a brilliant TV writer and who wrote the very first Vikings season
Pretty shocking stuff about Prince Philip's mother, when he was about 9 years old:
"In 1930, after suffering a severe nervous breakdown, Princess Andrew was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, first by Thomas Ross, a psychiatrist who specialised in shell-shock, and subsequently by Sir Maurice Craig, who treated the future King George VI before he had speech therapy.[24] The diagnosis was confirmed at Ernst Simmel's sanatorium at Tegel, Berlin.[25] Princess Andrew was forcibly removed from her family and placed in Ludwig Binswanger's sanatorium in Kreuzlingen, Switzerland.[26] It was a famous and well-respected institution with several celebrity patients, including Vaslav Nijinsky, the ballet dancer and choreographer, who was there at the same time as Princess Andrew.[27] Binswanger also diagnosed the princess with schizophrenia. Both he and Simmel consulted Sigmund Freud, who believed that her delusions were the result of sexual frustration. He recommended "X-raying her ovaries in order to kill off her libido." Princess Andrew protested that she was sane and repeatedly tried to leave the asylum.[24]"
Pretty shocking stuff regarding Prince Philip's mother:
"In 1930, after suffering a severe nervous breakdown, Princess Andrew was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, first by Thomas Ross, a psychiatrist who specialised in shell-shock, and subsequently by Sir Maurice Craig, who treated the future King George VI before he had speech therapy.[24] The diagnosis was confirmed at Ernst Simmel's sanatorium at Tegel, Berlin.[25] Princess Andrew was forcibly removed from her family and placed in Ludwig Binswanger's sanatorium in Kreuzlingen, Switzerland.[26] It was a famous and well-respected institution with several celebrity patients, including Vaslav Nijinsky, the ballet dancer and choreographer, who was there at the same time as Princess Andrew.[27] Binswanger also diagnosed the princess with schizophrenia. Both he and Simmel consulted Sigmund Freud, who believed that her delusions were the result of sexual frustration. He recommended "X-raying her ovaries in order to kill off her libido." Princess Andrew protested that she was sane and repeatedly tried to leave the asylum.[24]"
Yes, her story is a film in itself, and not much mentioned in some of the more tiresome coverage today. From a life background like that, becoming a chain-smoking and very selfless Greek nun looks like sanity.
Pretty shocking stuff regarding Prince Philip's mother:
"In 1930, after suffering a severe nervous breakdown, Princess Andrew was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, first by Thomas Ross, a psychiatrist who specialised in shell-shock, and subsequently by Sir Maurice Craig, who treated the future King George VI before he had speech therapy.[24] The diagnosis was confirmed at Ernst Simmel's sanatorium at Tegel, Berlin.[25] Princess Andrew was forcibly removed from her family and placed in Ludwig Binswanger's sanatorium in Kreuzlingen, Switzerland.[26] It was a famous and well-respected institution with several celebrity patients, including Vaslav Nijinsky, the ballet dancer and choreographer, who was there at the same time as Princess Andrew.[27] Binswanger also diagnosed the princess with schizophrenia. Both he and Simmel consulted Sigmund Freud, who believed that her delusions were the result of sexual frustration. He recommended "X-raying her ovaries in order to kill off her libido." Princess Andrew protested that she was sane and repeatedly tried to leave the asylum.[24]"
Yet despite it all she had the courage to save a Jewish family in Athens during the war.
Extraordinary diagnosis by Freud, especially as it was her husband who was off gallivanting with his mistress in the South of France. No wonder she was frustrated - given the sexual double standards on display, if this story is correct.
There are lots of things that are absurd, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't do them. Maybe this is one of those things.
It was amusing earlier, though, that when we tired of the constant news about the Duke's death on Radio 4 and turned over to RTÉ radio 1 for the "real news" we still had two stories about the Duke's death anyway.
What's the average death rate for a major royal, meriting suspension of BBC schedules? Probably an average of about one a decade at most. Feels like it's not a terrible thing for a country to take a moment once a decade to stop and take stock of itself, if perhaps a strange lens to do it through.
It's very sad that Prince Philip has died but I have to say I find it rather odd how much time is devoted to it. I don't mean to sound harsh when I say that - I just think it's a bit ridiculous.
Perhaps it's my republicanism coming through.
I am a monarchist but I agree with you. But I also thought the fuss about Diana's death was way over the top.
Me too. As a friend of mine said after Diana's death, I was more upset when Freddie Mercury died.
Hmm. Why Chile may be fucking up. Sinovac is somewhat effective, but only to an extent and ONLY after two doses
"The study by the University of Chile found inoculation to be 56.5 percent effective in protecting recipients two weeks after the second dose, and 27.7 percent effective within the first two weeks.
"But for a single dose, efficacy in the 28 days between the first and second dose was only three percent -- on par with the margin of error in such studies, it said."
3% after one dose? Completely useless. You need two doses
There are lots of things that are absurd, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't do them. Maybe this is one of those things.
It was amusing earlier, though, that when we tired of the constant news about the Duke's death on Radio 4 and turned over to RTÉ radio 1 for the "real news" we still had two stories about the Duke's death anyway.
What's the average death rate for a major royal, meriting suspension of BBC schedules? Probably an average of about one a decade at most. Feels like it's not a terrible thing for a country to take a moment once a decade to stop and take stock of itself, if perhaps a strange lens to do it through.
That's the "joy" - or horror - of a constitutional monarchy. It is like a national family. The big events come quite randomly, but they come. Weddings, funerals, births.
I sometimes envy republics with their regular national events. July 4th. Bastille Day. The German one where they celebrate Hitler's christening (do they still do that?). Whatever they do in Italy. Russia with its Tractor Day. China's Celebration of Mao's Sparrow Killing Campaign
And yet a monarchy adds mystique because the national events are interwoven with a human event: a death, a birth, a failed arrest for child molestation
So let us gorge on our occasional royal bean-feasts
This is your BBC royal correspondent, signing off for some ket
Working in the garden this evening I heard a single church bell tolling for the Duke - an unexpectedly moving event. In spite of being irreligious I've missed the bells this past year and that plodding funereal monotone sent a shiver down my spine.
Far away across the field The tolling of the iron bell Calls the faithful to their knees To hear the softly spoken magic spell
I know a few bellringers. Lots on my facebook feed about 'Operation Forth Bridge' - clearly the campanological response to the event has been anticipated well in advance. Incidentally, tolling a bell, on its own, is not hard. Tolling an exact number of strikes is trickier. Tolling an exact odd number of strikes - i. e. 99 - takes more skill still and not a little nerve.
Bellringers will do something phased and synchronised and geographical, that no one can track unless they have an audio spy satellite.
For the millenium in London they had mobile teams of campanologists coming into Central London ringing at different churches along a pattern like the spokes of a wheel.
There are lots of things that are absurd, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't do them. Maybe this is one of those things.
It was amusing earlier, though, that when we tired of the constant news about the Duke's death on Radio 4 and turned over to RTÉ radio 1 for the "real news" we still had two stories about the Duke's death anyway.
What's the average death rate for a major royal, meriting suspension of BBC schedules? Probably an average of about one a decade at most. Feels like it's not a terrible thing for a country to take a moment once a decade to stop and take stock of itself, if perhaps a strange lens to do it through.
That's the "joy" - or horror - of a constitutional monarchy. It is like a national family. The big events come quite randomly, but they come. Weddings, funerals, births.
I sometimes envy republics with their regular national events. July 4th. Bastille Day. The German one where they celebrate Hitler's christening (do they still do that?). Whatever they do in Italy. Russia with its Tractor Day. China's Celebration of Mao's Sparrow Killing Campaign
And yet a monarchy adds mystique because the national events are interwoven with a human event: a death, a birth, a failed arrest for child molestation
So let us gorge on our occasional royal bean-feasts
This is your BBC royal correspondent, signing off for some ket
Indeed and the death of Prince Philip reminds us that the first State funeral of our Head of State followed by our first coronation of the new monarch for almost 70 years is getting closer.
The Queen's funeral will be a huge sombre affair both here and globally, the coronation of King Charles III will also combine the pageantry of centuries with the first coronation broadcast in the modern media age
Thanks for the advice on finding candidates lists before. None of it has worked. My conclusion is that my council is tardy and incompetent. But I knew that. I shall not vote for them. But wait. I already have an opposition councillor who wins 70% + of the vote. (If they stand. Which I don't know because...) Gotta love FPTP democracy.
India, and south Asia, might be the final yet hideous hurrah of Covid-19. Where it takes out ten thousand people a day. Pakistan and Bangladesh are maybe 4 weeks behind India
Also, Turkey: 56,000 cases today, by far its worst day
Thanks for the advice on finding candidates lists before. None of it has worked. My conclusion is that my council is tardy and incompetent. But I knew that. I shall not vote for them. But wait. I already have an opposition councillor who wins 70% + of the vote. (If they stand. Which I don't know because...) Gotta love FPTP democracy.
At least with local democracy the numbers, due to seat size and turnout being lower, the chances of a change occurring are much better than other races, even in a strong area for a party, in response to national situation or a strong local candidate. Usually still doesn't matter, but a much better chance at least.
Thanks for the advice on finding candidates lists before. None of it has worked. My conclusion is that my council is tardy and incompetent. But I knew that. I shall not vote for them. But wait. I already have an opposition councillor who wins 70% + of the vote. (If they stand. Which I don't know because...) Gotta love FPTP democracy.
At least with local democracy the numbers, due to seat size and turnout being lower, the chances of a change occurring are much better than other races, even in a strong area for a party, in response to national situation or a strong local candidate. Usually still doesn't matter, but a much better chance at least.
Well. It will happen here. If my ex-Tory, now Indy, who propped up Labour until 4 years ago, stands down. It will revert to Tory again. But yeah.
Surging exponentially. Speaks of 1000s of dead, per day, in 2-3 weeks. Their vax campaign has barely begun
The median age in India is only 26.8, so maybe they won't be as badly affected as expected. In Italy the figure is 47.3, by comparison. We know now that age is almost entirely the important factor with this virus.
Surging exponentially. Speaks of 1000s of dead, per day, in 2-3 weeks. Their vax campaign has barely begun
The median age in India is only 26.8, so maybe they won't be as badly affected as expected. In Italy the figure is 47.3, by comparison. We know now that age is almost entirely the most important factor with this virus.
Hmm. Maybe. But Brazil is also very young (Tho fatter - and obesity is another key factor)
The fear is, as in Brazil, crashed health systems. India is much poorer than Brazil.
If covid really rampages in India, I can see it killing 2-3m people, in India alone. It is probably going to kill half a million in Brazil
Comments
First the royal death, then the screeching blanketing media coverage (which a lot of people watch, for various reasons), then the piously critical leftwing reaction (because they watch too much); Maguire comes half way between stages 2 and 3, where the first lefties affect faint but martyred offence
It's like dinner service at the court of Louis Quatorze
It was like a dimly-remembered vision of normality. Bloody marvellous!
A very odd moment
(For those not accessing the link it was Ash Sarkar wondering who would be denounced by the Mail first)
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/14598608/pacific-tribe-prince-philip-worship/
"Prince Philip Movement
The Prince Philip Movement is a religious sect followed by the Kastom people around Yaohnanen village on the southern island of Tanna in Vanuatu. It is a cargo cult of the Yaohnanen tribe, who believe in the divinity of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, the consort to Queen Elizabeth II."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Philip_Movement
Obviously targeting Republicans.
Personally, I'm more of an Erewhon kind of guy.
And deffo good enough for a chilled bottle of Kiwi Sauv Blanc in a Highgate beer garden. With an unctuous risotto
Pubs! Restaurants! Life!!!
It returns
Frankly I doubt he will be there
Maybe I'll play with it this weekend.
Set on a full-screen dark background, the message reads: “In loving memory of His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, 1921-2021. Thank you for your service… you will be greatly missed.”
Fortunately Dorset Council have sent me an email entitled "The Duke of Edinburgh has died".
Never let it be said that Dorset CC keeps its citizens in the dark.
I spend my life trying to get rid of stuff but it continues to accumulate
Perhaps it's my republicanism coming through.
There are far less notable stories that get days and days of coverage, and the death of the consort to the Head of State getting blanket coverage for even one day seems odd to people? I don't get it.
If it is still like this in 2 or 3 days, which it may well be, sure, but today? Ridiculous, maybe, but odd it certainly is not.
I'd not be surprised if we'd been told his last words had been similar to those of Vespasian.
For instance cookies that are not necessary should be disabled by default, if you want to enable them you go into the settings and turn them on. Sites are able to get around the current regulations by having a big "agree all" button which turns them all on, even if the toggles are set to off by default.
Every time I see her she’s going on about how she needs to spend a day clearing everything out, and I have lost count of the number of times I have identified potential time slots, with no success.
Having studied the matter closely, my conclusion is that what is holding her back is that after a clearout the volume of the remaining 75% of stuff that she has retained, properly arranged, is greater than the space the full 100% of stuff occupied when it was all shoved together into the back of a cupboard or drawer. This expansion of cleared out material acts as a deterrent to further effort.
Just a theory, DYOR, etc.
https://twitter.com/Dereklowe/status/1380589409523924995
You have some very strange priorities my friend.
It is a half-end of a postwar era, though, as a landmark.
And closing down BBC4 when some of its viewers may have lost their remote control down the crack in the sofa and be unable to access other channels is criminal neglect on such a momentous day.
Is this AZ, in which case it may be linked to the USG canning the factory.
https://twitter.com/WestWingReport/status/1380614765207244807?s=20
https://twitter.com/WestWingReport/status/1380619472466247685?s=20
And it's refreshing not to be responding to absolutely everything with cynicism.
That said, while I'm not surprised that the BBC is focusing on this full time for now, I'm slightly surprised it's doing it to the exclusion of everything else on all its channels. Doesn't really matter these days - who watches telly which is actually on now any more?
I knew something was up earlier when I got into the car just after two and heard XS Manchester (usual offerings: unchallenging indie music from the early 90s) playing 'Nothing Else Matters' by Metallica. It had clearly drawn up a playlist of sad/wistful/reflective songs which went slightly, but only slightly, outside of its normal boundaries, devoid of adverts or DJ chatter and with a half-hourly bulletin on the death of the duke. The tone of the music was probably right, but little of it bore too much scrutiny ('Fix You'? 'Run'?).
Incumbent defending a majority of 68%.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/31/us/politics/johnson-johnson-coronavirus-vaccine.html
It is rare for long drama series to end on a high. This might. Incredible sets. Amazon TV has so much money: it is like a Hollywood epic, but this is done episode after episode
Also written, significantly, by Michael Hirst, who is a brilliant TV writer and who wrote the very first Vikings season
"In 1930, after suffering a severe nervous breakdown, Princess Andrew was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, first by Thomas Ross, a psychiatrist who specialised in shell-shock, and subsequently by Sir Maurice Craig, who treated the future King George VI before he had speech therapy.[24] The diagnosis was confirmed at Ernst Simmel's sanatorium at Tegel, Berlin.[25] Princess Andrew was forcibly removed from her family and placed in Ludwig Binswanger's sanatorium in Kreuzlingen, Switzerland.[26] It was a famous and well-respected institution with several celebrity patients, including Vaslav Nijinsky, the ballet dancer and choreographer, who was there at the same time as Princess Andrew.[27] Binswanger also diagnosed the princess with schizophrenia. Both he and Simmel consulted Sigmund Freud, who believed that her delusions were the result of sexual frustration. He recommended "X-raying her ovaries in order to kill off her libido." Princess Andrew protested that she was sane and repeatedly tried to leave the asylum.[24]"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Alice_of_Battenberg#Illness
Extraordinary diagnosis by Freud, especially as it was her husband who was off gallivanting with his mistress in the South of France. No wonder she was frustrated - given the sexual double standards on display, if this story is correct.
It was amusing earlier, though, that when we tired of the constant news about the Duke's death on Radio 4 and turned over to RTÉ radio 1 for the "real news" we still had two stories about the Duke's death anyway.
What's the average death rate for a major royal, meriting suspension of BBC schedules? Probably an average of about one a decade at most. Feels like it's not a terrible thing for a country to take a moment once a decade to stop and take stock of itself, if perhaps a strange lens to do it through.
"The study by the University of Chile found inoculation to be 56.5 percent effective in protecting recipients two weeks after the second dose, and 27.7 percent effective within the first two weeks.
"But for a single dose, efficacy in the 28 days between the first and second dose was only three percent -- on par with the margin of error in such studies, it said."
3% after one dose? Completely useless. You need two doses
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210406-first-covid-vaccine-shot-alone-not-protective-chile-study
https://twitter.com/hendopolis/status/1380611394643582980?s=20
I sometimes envy republics with their regular national events. July 4th. Bastille Day. The German one where they celebrate Hitler's christening (do they still do that?). Whatever they do in Italy. Russia with its Tractor Day. China's Celebration of Mao's Sparrow Killing Campaign
And yet a monarchy adds mystique because the national events are interwoven with a human event: a death, a birth, a failed arrest for child molestation
So let us gorge on our occasional royal bean-feasts
This is your BBC royal correspondent, signing off for some ket
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/uk-news/operation-forth-bridge-what-happens-12928762
Bellringers will do something phased and synchronised and geographical, that no one can track unless they have an audio spy satellite.
For the millenium in London they had mobile teams of campanologists coming into Central London ringing at different churches along a pattern like the spokes of a wheel.
Surging exponentially. Speaks of 1000s of dead, per day, in 2-3 weeks. Their vax campaign has barely begun
The Queen's funeral will be a huge sombre affair both here and globally, the coronation of King Charles III will also combine the pageantry of centuries with the first coronation broadcast in the modern media age
None of it has worked. My conclusion is that my council is tardy and incompetent. But I knew that. I shall not vote for them.
But wait. I already have an opposition councillor who wins 70% + of the vote. (If they stand. Which I don't know because...)
Gotta love FPTP democracy.
Also, Turkey: 56,000 cases today, by far its worst day
Scary
Spanish flu eventually killed 18m people in India. The biggest total in any country.
History may be repeating itself, horribly
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1918_flu_pandemic_in_India
But yeah.
The fear is, as in Brazil, crashed health systems. India is much poorer than Brazil.
If covid really rampages in India, I can see it killing 2-3m people, in India alone. It is probably going to kill half a million in Brazil