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    PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 76,034

    Alistair said:

    calum said:

    I note that Lord Ashcroft had Jim Murphy 1% ahead of the SNP. I've just had a look at the tables and as far as I could see, the SNP seem to be ahead on all measures, even on the second stage think of candidates who might be standing question. Results below:

    http://lordashcroftpolls.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Renfrewshire-East-Full-tables-Feb-15-LAM124A.pdf

    Apologies if this is an old issue which has already been flagged.

    I agree with you, table 6 - which is the second question turnout adjusted - has SNP Labour as tied not Labour 1% ahead.
    Lab: 226
    SNP: 231

    I have tweeted the Good Lord to see if an error has been made.
    Table 6 is isn't the final figures, they are the the figures before the spiral of silence adjustment.
    Spiral of shy Labour ;)
  • Options
    Ishmael_XIshmael_X Posts: 3,664
    tlg86 said:

    Ishmael_X said:

    No. Cameron would have to close the issue down, from the outset, by ruling out the debates so firmly that asking him if he was going to attend was pointless.

    I'd suggest that we're not at that stage yet - so the Tories are still probably hoping that the debates will just go away.

    Some have suggested that Cameron could be replaced by Clegg, but it's hard to see how a broadcaster could change the rules of the debate if there is still the possibility that Cameron could change his mind at the last minute.

    If Cameron was to completely rule out turning up for a head to head with Miliband, however, I'd suggest the broadcaster would be well within its right to seek a replacement and seeing as though Clegg has been Deputy PM for the last five years then that might not be such a silly idea.
    Not a threat. Clegg is a busted flush - Mr 5%, fifth in the polls. A head to head with him would have zero value to Miliband.

    Negative value, actually.
  • Options
    Hengists_GiftHengists_Gift Posts: 628
    edited March 2015
    Ishmael_X said:

    Ishmael_X said:

    tlg86 said:

    Mortimer said:

    - worst case: head to head debate with EdM head to head goes ahead, DC agrees at last minute to avoid empty chair.

    But just think about what that would mean. The whole of the election campaign will be dominated by the debates - which is exactly what Cameron said he didn't want. And it wouldn't be like last time. Every press conference would start with the media asking Cameron if he was going to attend the debate. The people might not care about the debates at the moment, but the press do care and they set the agenda.


    A 6 way debate with empty chair is much more dangerous to Cameron, but does raise the pleasing possibility that the other 5 participants will gang up and debag Miliband minor, in the absence of Cameron. Actually I think the more likely victim of a debagging would be Farage, but then again how bad would that be for Cameron?
    Well it could be but there will be few votes in debagging Farage especially if its seen that a bunch of bullying lefties are ganging up on him.
    TV audiences seem to love partisan attacks on Ukip, and recent attacks have coincided with Ukip slipping in the polls. Correlation=/= causation, of course.
    Well given the UKIP vote came off an election peak and has arguably only dropped a couple points from its all time monthly average vote share level high I think its rather speculative to suggest that such attacks have had any effect at all. There is always a period of decline after election peaks.

    Frankly I have always viewed the UKIP vote declining meme much more to be wishful thinking on the part of propagandists and partisans than anything else. In my view UKIPs vote share has barely shifted since the Euros settled down. In fact if you compare recent polls with those during July and August last year they are a couple of points higher, recent attacks or no.....


  • Options
    Hengists_GiftHengists_Gift Posts: 628
    edited March 2015
    tlg86 said:

    Ishmael_X said:

    No. Cameron would have to close the issue down, from the outset, by ruling out the debates so firmly that asking him if he was going to attend was pointless.

    I'd suggest that we're not at that stage yet - so the Tories are still probably hoping that the debates will just go away.

    Some have suggested that Cameron could be replaced by Clegg, but it's hard to see how a broadcaster could change the rules of the debate if there is still the possibility that Cameron could change his mind at the last minute.

    If Cameron was to completely rule out turning up for a head to head with Miliband, however, I'd suggest the broadcaster would be well within its right to seek a replacement and seeing as though Clegg has been Deputy PM for the last five years then that might not be such a silly idea.
    Clegg will be there in his own right and have to defend his and his party's role in Government anyway. He can't replace Cameron......
  • Options
    AlistairAlistair Posts: 23,670
    Pulpstar said:

    Alistair said:

    calum said:

    I note that Lord Ashcroft had Jim Murphy 1% ahead of the SNP. I've just had a look at the tables and as far as I could see, the SNP seem to be ahead on all measures, even on the second stage think of candidates who might be standing question. Results below:

    http://lordashcroftpolls.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Renfrewshire-East-Full-tables-Feb-15-LAM124A.pdf

    Apologies if this is an old issue which has already been flagged.

    I agree with you, table 6 - which is the second question turnout adjusted - has SNP Labour as tied not Labour 1% ahead.
    Lab: 226
    SNP: 231

    I have tweeted the Good Lord to see if an error has been made.
    Table 6 is isn't the final figures, they are the the figures before the spiral of silence adjustment.
    Spiral of shy Labour ;)
    Do we know what his spiral formula/calculations are?
  • Options
    OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 32,129
    calum said:

    Roger said:

    Calum

    "That would be a great honour. If it does come off I'll be donating a chunk of my winnings to my MND awareness campaign: "

    Great cause calum. Well done and good luck

    Roger - Many thanks - I'm enjoying holding the politicians to account - MND care was a hot topic at the start of the election campaigning. Calum.
    Please do. It's an awful disease.
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    Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 49,618
    edited March 2015

    O/T

    If you've got a clear sky looking west, Venus is visible. And in the east, Jupiter is rising.

    And if you are really lucky, in the distance you may perceive Crossover.....
    Only visible in the southern hemisphere - where it is known as the Southern Cross-over.
    Although the Northern Cross does exist, as an informal name for Cygnus the Swan.

    Speaking of birds, apart from the ubiquitous Mallards, Coots, Moorhens, Mute Swans, Canada Geese and Greylag goose, I saw a Gadwall, Smew, Widgeon, Teal, Ruddy Duck, Shelduck, Pintail, Pochard, Red-Crested Pochard, Mandarin and Barnacle Goose at St James's Park in London, plus those Pelicans :)
  • Options
    tlg86tlg86 Posts: 25,221
    Ishmael_X said:

    tlg86 said:

    Ishmael_X said:

    No. Cameron would have to close the issue down, from the outset, by ruling out the debates so firmly that asking him if he was going to attend was pointless.

    I'd suggest that we're not at that stage yet - so the Tories are still probably hoping that the debates will just go away.

    Some have suggested that Cameron could be replaced by Clegg, but it's hard to see how a broadcaster could change the rules of the debate if there is still the possibility that Cameron could change his mind at the last minute.

    If Cameron was to completely rule out turning up for a head to head with Miliband, however, I'd suggest the broadcaster would be well within its right to seek a replacement and seeing as though Clegg has been Deputy PM for the last five years then that might not be such a silly idea.
    Not a threat. Clegg is a busted flush - Mr 5%, fifth in the polls. A head to head with him would have zero value to Miliband.

    Negative value, actually.
    Fair enough. You seem to be advocating the Tories just staying out of the debates and letting the rest get on with it, which is absolutely fine, but right now that's not what's happening. It seems to me that Cameron doesn't want to debate - but he also doesn't want the others to debate.

  • Options
    Alistair said:

    Pulpstar said:

    Alistair said:

    calum said:

    I note that Lord Ashcroft had Jim Murphy 1% ahead of the SNP. I've just had a look at the tables and as far as I could see, the SNP seem to be ahead on all measures, even on the second stage think of candidates who might be standing question. Results below:

    http://lordashcroftpolls.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Renfrewshire-East-Full-tables-Feb-15-LAM124A.pdf

    Apologies if this is an old issue which has already been flagged.

    I agree with you, table 6 - which is the second question turnout adjusted - has SNP Labour as tied not Labour 1% ahead.
    Lab: 226
    SNP: 231

    I have tweeted the Good Lord to see if an error has been made.
    Table 6 is isn't the final figures, they are the the figures before the spiral of silence adjustment.
    Spiral of shy Labour ;)
    Do we know what his spiral formula/calculations are?
    I think he he is following ICM's spiral of silence adjustment, which is to allocate 50% of Don't Knows/Refused to Sayers to the party they voted for last time in 2010.
  • Options
    Tim_BTim_B Posts: 7,669
    edited March 2015

    O/T

    If you've got a clear sky looking west, Venus is visible. And in the east, Jupiter is rising.

    And if you are really lucky, in the distance you may perceive Crossover.....
    Only visible in the southern hemisphere - where it is known as the Southern Cross-over.
    Although the Northern Cross does exist, as an informal name for Cygnus the Swan.

    Speaking of birds, apart from the ubiquitous Mallards, Coots, Moorhens, Mute Swans, Canada Geese and Greylag goose, I saw a Gadwall, Smew, Widgeon, Teal, Ruddy Duck, Shelduck, Pintail, Pochard, Red-Crested Pochard, Mandarin and Barnacle Goose at St James's Park in London, plus those Pelicans :)
    Wasn't there a steam engine called Mallard, a 4-6-2 designed by Sir Nigel Gresley and holding the world speed record for steam locomotives?

    I'm not aware of locomotives called coot, moorhen or mute swan however.....
  • Options
    OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 32,129
    edited March 2015
    Pub discussion this evening, out of which I kept.
    Woman in her early 50's "I want to vote UKIP but if I do will I let Labour in"
    Older woman, there with her husband "Well I always vote Tory"
    There was then a certain amount of abuse of someone, not the brightest citizen and questionably employable but not there, who was apparently a Labour voter. "And she's got a new flat and all!"
    Went round a couple more times but no-one else either got or wanted to get, involved.

    The barman and I concentrated on discussing the cricket!

    Got a feeling, because of who was shooting their mouth off, that we'll be back to it before long.
  • Options
    Tim_BTim_B Posts: 7,669
    SeanT said:

    Mr. VW, upon second reading, you're quite correct. Sorry about that, and well-spotted. [Makes me wonder how many mistakes I've made with the bit of writing I'm working on right now].

    Mr. K, alas, not yet stocked in brick-and-mortar stores [this may change when Sir Edric's Temple is re-released and Sir Edric's Treasure is released via a small press]. Temple can be ordered, as a physical book, from Amazon or Lulu [the latter, despite being a couple of quid cheaper, is better for me]:
    http://www.lulu.com/gb/en/shop/thaddeus-white/sir-edrics-temple/paperback/product-21306938.html

    On maps, I've almost finished a large(ish) scale map [too big for inclusion in a book but I'll put it up on my site at some point]. When I come to trying to sort out the two smaller ones I may include I'll try to remember to give you a bell.

    Nothing wrong with ebooks. Relatedly, I might note that Istweeling ("The Ice Twins") by the mysterious Cornish author "S K Tremayne", is the 3rd best selling ebook in Holland at the moment.

    http://www.ereaders.nl/ibooks_bestsellers

    As an actual "book" it is the eighth best selling book in Holland, at the moment.

    http://www.boekblad.nl/bestseller60-11-nieuwe-boeken-in-de-lijst.247753.lynkx

    Proost.
    Is the mysterious Mr Tremayne planning a sequel, would you know, or just basking in the success of the Ice Twins?

    One of the dangers of climate based titles is global warming, in which case presumably the book could be renamed The Thawed Twins :-)
  • Options
    Hengists_GiftHengists_Gift Posts: 628
    edited March 2015
    Always a bad sign when these types of story start appearing:

    Tory MPs revolt against Lynton Crosby’s ‘aggressive, uninspiring’ strategy:

    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/tory-mps-revolt-against-lynton-crosbys-aggressive-uninspiring-strategy-10094564.html

    Cameron orders a re-write of the Tory manifesto:

    http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/2015/03/cameron-orders-a-re-write-of-the-tory-manifesto/
  • Options
    AlistairAlistair Posts: 23,670

    Alistair said:

    Pulpstar said:

    Alistair said:

    calum said:

    I note that Lord Ashcroft had Jim Murphy 1% ahead of the SNP. I've just had a look at the tables and as far as I could see, the SNP seem to be ahead on all measures, even on the second stage think of candidates who might be standing question. Results below:

    http://lordashcroftpolls.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Renfrewshire-East-Full-tables-Feb-15-LAM124A.pdf

    Apologies if this is an old issue which has already been flagged.

    I agree with you, table 6 - which is the second question turnout adjusted - has SNP Labour as tied not Labour 1% ahead.
    Lab: 226
    SNP: 231

    I have tweeted the Good Lord to see if an error has been made.
    Table 6 is isn't the final figures, they are the the figures before the spiral of silence adjustment.
    Spiral of shy Labour ;)
    Do we know what his spiral formula/calculations are?
    I think he he is following ICM's spiral of silence adjustment, which is to allocate 50% of Don't Knows/Refused to Sayers to the party they voted for last time in 2010.
    Seems sensible, I have a hunch that the Don't Knows in Scottish VIs are predominantly Labour voters and so there could be a fair swing back to Labour.

    However (without having given it a great amount of though) I'm surprised that applying that to 13% DK in Renfrewshire East results in only a 1% labour lead
  • Options
    foxinsoxukfoxinsoxuk Posts: 23,548
    Scot wins!

    (Best in show at Crufts)
  • Options
    FlightpathFlightpath Posts: 4,012

    MikeK said:

    Mr. VW, upon second reading, you're quite correct. Sorry about that, and well-spotted. [Makes me wonder how many mistakes I've made with the bit of writing I'm working on right now].

    Mr. K, alas, not yet stocked in brick-and-mortar stores [this may change when Sir Edric's Temple is re-released and Sir Edric's Treasure is released via a small press]. Temple can be ordered, as a physical book, from Amazon or Lulu [the latter, despite being a couple of quid cheaper, is better for me]:
    http://www.lulu.com/gb/en/shop/thaddeus-white/sir-edrics-temple/paperback/product-21306938.html

    On maps, I've almost finished a large(ish) scale map [too big for inclusion in a book but I'll put it up on my site at some point]. When I come to trying to sort out the two smaller ones I may include I'll try to remember to give you a bell.

    A good editor is priceless, alas not me in temperament alone. I love to handle a freshly printed 1st edition of a work. However, I will order it if I can get BoS as an iBook for my iPad. Ain't got a Kindle.
    You can download the kindle app for your iPad.
    Don't Apple make it difficult to order from Amazon? Android is OK.
  • Options
    FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 76,309
    edited March 2015
    SeanT said:



    Unfortunately he/she is struggling with it, and has so far written a load of old dosh, due to a bad case of "second album" syndrome.

    Exclusive photo of S K Tremayne...

    http://img.thesun.co.uk/aidemitlum/archive/01727/MatthewGhent_01_1727548a.jpg
  • Options
    TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 114,710
    edited March 2015
    Alistair said:

    Alistair said:

    Pulpstar said:

    Alistair said:

    calum said:

    I note that Lord Ashcroft had Jim Murphy 1% ahead of the SNP. I've just had a look at the tables and as far as I could see, the SNP seem to be ahead on all measures, even on the second stage think of candidates who might be standing question. Results below:

    http://lordashcroftpolls.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Renfrewshire-East-Full-tables-Feb-15-LAM124A.pdf

    Apologies if this is an old issue which has already been flagged.

    I agree with you, table 6 - which is the second question turnout adjusted - has SNP Labour as tied not Labour 1% ahead.
    Lab: 226
    SNP: 231

    I have tweeted the Good Lord to see if an error has been made.
    Table 6 is isn't the final figures, they are the the figures before the spiral of silence adjustment.
    Spiral of shy Labour ;)
    Do we know what his spiral formula/calculations are?
    I think he he is following ICM's spiral of silence adjustment, which is to allocate 50% of Don't Knows/Refused to Sayers to the party they voted for last time in 2010.
    Seems sensible, I have a hunch that the Don't Knows in Scottish VIs are predominantly Labour voters and so there could be a fair swing back to Labour.

    However (without having given it a great amount of though) I'm surprised that applying that to 13% DK in Renfrewshire East results in only a 1% labour lead
    9% of 2010 Tories and 16% of 2010 Lib Dems are DKs/Refused to say.

    I might be talking balls here,

    Now this might be evidence of Pro-Union voters contemplating voting tactically for Labour.

    Or it might not be.
  • Options
    MikeSmithsonMikeSmithson Posts: 7,382
    Alistair said:

    calum said:

    I note that Lord Ashcroft had Jim Murphy 1% ahead of the SNP. I've just had a look at the tables and as far as I could see, the SNP seem to be ahead on all measures, even on the second stage think of candidates who might be standing question. Results below:

    http://lordashcroftpolls.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Renfrewshire-East-Full-tables-Feb-15-LAM124A.pdf

    Apologies if this is an old issue which has already been flagged.

    I agree with you, table 6 - which is the second question turnout adjusted - has SNP Labour as tied not Labour 1% ahead.
    Lab: 226
    SNP: 231

    I have tweeted the Good Lord to see if an error has been made.
    The happens a lot with Lord A's polls - particularly in close battles in the marginals. First there is the past vote weighting, then the turnout filter, and finally the spiral of silence adjustment.

    The past votes are weighted back to GE10.

    What you have in Murphy's seat is bot SNP & SLAB in about the same area. You can't be more precise.
  • Options
    Richard_TyndallRichard_Tyndall Posts: 31,048
    edited March 2015

    o/t and fpt:

    Can I thank everyone for their replies wrt my tanks question. The problem is I cannot remember where I read it, although my possibly faulty memory says it might have been a written interview in a book or journal. Aside from that, I'm not sure of what I remember, but I *think* the purpose was not just to examine seized equipment, but to also see how the Russians were taking them down (e.g. "the Panthers have a weak spot below the turret that an H.E. round can damage," or somesuch, or "the Germans are using a new type of oil on their guns against the cold."). The guy was, I think, a pretty ordinary tanker who just so happened to be an engineer and speak Russian, so he was promoted and sent out.

    Why I'm interested is that I also recall - possibly falsely - that every such engineer had a Russian officer assigned to him in a political role, and there was a great deal of both conflict and friendship. My memory gives me the impression that they often went onto recently-hot battlefields to check the Russians were not hiding anything.

    I've never been able to track it down again, or find any references to it anywhere else. Then again, it's not my field. It's been nagging at me for years.

    The reason I remember is that I thought it would make a heck of a WWII war novel, if such things sold any more ...

    JJ. Right up until the end of the Cold War there were a set of officers from each side who were basically allowed to roam around the opposite side's countries, watching their military exercises and given free access to pretty much anywhere on the ground during the exercises as a means of reinforcing trust between each side about their actions. A friend of mine - who is still a serving RAF officer - was part of one of these units. They didn't file travel plans and under a series of treaties between NATO and the Russians they were not allowed to be stopped from making observations where-ever they wanted.

    When I saw your question earlier today I was cursing myself that it had not been asked a year ago. I lost a good friend in September who had served as the 'Opposing Force Expert' for the US 177th Armoured Brigade and who directed the 'Forces Command Opposing Forces Training Program' for the US military. His job basically was to look at every aspect of the potential enemy's resources, from their vehicles to the tactics and everything imbetween and work out the best way to fight it. Hell of a job.
  • Options
    Tim_BTim_B Posts: 7,669
    SeanT said:

    Tim_B said:

    SeanT said:

    Mr. VW, upon second reading, you're quite correct. Sorry about that, and well-spotted. [Makes me wonder how many mistakes I've made with the bit of writing I'm working on right now].

    Mr. K, alas, not yet stocked in brick-and-mortar stores [this may change when Sir Edric's Temple is re-released and Sir Edric's Treasure is released via a small press]. Temple can be ordered, as a physical book, from Amazon or Lulu [the latter, despite being a couple of quid cheaper, is better for me]:
    http://www.lulu.com/gb/en/shop/thaddeus-white/sir-edrics-temple/paperback/product-21306938.html

    On maps, I've almost finished a large(ish) scale map [too big for inclusion in a book but I'll put it up on my site at some point]. When I come to trying to sort out the two smaller ones I may include I'll try to remember to give you a bell.

    Nothing wrong with ebooks. Relatedly, I might note that Istweeling ("The Ice Twins") by the mysterious Cornish author "S K Tremayne", is the 3rd best selling ebook in Holland at the moment.

    http://www.ereaders.nl/ibooks_bestsellers

    As an actual "book" it is the eighth best selling book in Holland, at the moment.

    http://www.boekblad.nl/bestseller60-11-nieuwe-boeken-in-de-lijst.247753.lynkx

    Proost.
    Is the mysterious Mr Tremayne planning a sequel, would you know, or just basking in the success of the Ice Twins?

    One of the dangers of climate based titles is global warming, in which case presumably the book could be renamed The Thawed Twins :-)
    I can confidently report that S K Tremayne is right now writing a sequel to the International Bestseller, and Sunday Times bestseller, the ICE TWINS.

    Unfortunately he/she is struggling with it, and has so far written a load of old dosh, due to a bad case of "second album" syndrome.
    - or being buried in all that Dutch charisma has gone to his / her head and caused writer's block.

    Just start with "It was a dark and stormy night" or "Last night I dreamed I went to Manderley again." and let the creative juices make the fingers play an arpeggio on the keyboard.

    To quote that Colossus of the written word, the sage of Chipping Norton, the purveyor of petrol head chic, Jeremy Clarkson, "How hard can it be?" :-)
  • Options
    maaarshmaaarsh Posts: 3,391
    edited March 2015
    Tim_B said:

    A brief golf story -

    on Friday, playing the 8th at the Blue Monster in the WGC-Cadillac tournament, Rory McIlroy threw his 3 iron into the lake in frustration and / or anger.

    The owner of the course - its full name is Trump National Doral which will provide a clue - arranged for a scuba diver to retrieve the club from the lake.

    On Saturday Rory Rory played with only 13 clubs.

    On Sunday on the practice range, Trump gave McIlroy the club.

    “Rory, I didn’t want you to play with 13 clubs again,” Trump said as he handed over the iron. “Thirteen is an unlucky number.”

    McIlroy had a good laugh at the hand-off and thanked Trump. McIlroy immediately put the club in his bag. After the round, he will give it back to Trump, who said there were two options for the club’s future.

    “We could auction it off to charity or we could put it in a trophy case here at Doral,” Trump said. “I give a lot of money to charity so I think we’ll have the club mounted and placed in the clubhouse somewhere.”

    Only The Donald - a showman if ever there was one - could successfully pull off a stunt like this. I just wish he'd stay out of politics.

    http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/03/donald-trump-gives-rory-mcilroy-thrown-club

    Shouldn't let him carry 14 again after that really.
  • Options
    Tim_BTim_B Posts: 7,669

    SeanT said:



    Unfortunately he/she is struggling with it, and has so far written a load of old dosh, due to a bad case of "second album" syndrome.

    Exclusive photo of S K Tremayne...

    http://img.thesun.co.uk/aidemitlum/archive/01727/MatthewGhent_01_1727548a.jpg
    Good thought, but wouldn't the revenue from Holland be in Euros?
  • Options
    JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 39,220
    SeanT said:

    Tim_B said:

    SeanT said:

    Mr. VW, upon second reading, you're quite correct. Sorry about that, and well-spotted. [Makes me wonder how many mistakes I've made with the bit of writing I'm working on right now].

    Mr. K, alas, not yet stocked in brick-and-mortar stores [this may change when Sir Edric's Temple is re-released and Sir Edric's Treasure is released via a small press]. Temple can be ordered, as a physical book, from Amazon or Lulu [the latter, despite being a couple of quid cheaper, is better for me]:
    http://www.lulu.com/gb/en/shop/thaddeus-white/sir-edrics-temple/paperback/product-21306938.html

    On maps, I've almost finished a large(ish) scale map [too big for inclusion in a book but I'll put it up on my site at some point]. When I come to trying to sort out the two smaller ones I may include I'll try to remember to give you a bell.

    Nothing wrong with ebooks. Relatedly, I might note that Istweeling ("The Ice Twins") by the mysterious Cornish author "S K Tremayne", is the 3rd best selling ebook in Holland at the moment.

    http://www.ereaders.nl/ibooks_bestsellers

    As an actual "book" it is the eighth best selling book in Holland, at the moment.

    http://www.boekblad.nl/bestseller60-11-nieuwe-boeken-in-de-lijst.247753.lynkx

    Proost.
    Is the mysterious Mr Tremayne planning a sequel, would you know, or just basking in the success of the Ice Twins?

    One of the dangers of climate based titles is global warming, in which case presumably the book could be renamed The Thawed Twins :-)
    I can confidently report that S K Tremayne is right now writing a sequel to the International Bestseller, and Sunday Times bestseller, the ICE TWINS.

    Unfortunately he/she is struggling with it, and has so far written a load of old tosh, due to a bad case of "second album" syndrome.
    Just to remind you that, as a Devonian, you should not be watching the superior Cornishmen on BBC 1 now. ;-)

    Dish o'tay, Capt'n Poldark?
  • Options
    CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758
    SeanT said:

    Mr. VW, upon second reading, you're quite correct. Sorry about that, and well-spotted. [Makes me wonder how many mistakes I've made with the bit of writing I'm working on right now].

    Mr. K, alas, not yet stocked in brick-and-mortar stores [this may change when Sir Edric's Temple is re-released and Sir Edric's Treasure is released via a small press]. Temple can be ordered, as a physical book, from Amazon or Lulu [the latter, despite being a couple of quid cheaper, is better for me]:
    http://www.lulu.com/gb/en/shop/thaddeus-white/sir-edrics-temple/paperback/product-21306938.html

    On maps, I've almost finished a large(ish) scale map [too big for inclusion in a book but I'll put it up on my site at some point]. When I come to trying to sort out the two smaller ones I may include I'll try to remember to give you a bell.

    Nothing wrong with ebooks. Relatedly, I might note that Istweeling ("The Ice Twins") by the mysterious Cornish author "S K Tremayne", is the 3rd best selling ebook in Holland at the moment.

    http://www.ereaders.nl/ibooks_bestsellers

    As an actual "book" it is the eighth best selling book in Holland, at the moment.

    http://www.boekblad.nl/bestseller60-11-nieuwe-boeken-in-de-lijst.247753.lynkx

    Proost.
    I've added it to my wishlist on amazon...
  • Options
    FlightpathFlightpath Posts: 4,012

    o/t and fpt:

    Can I thank everyone for their replies wrt my tanks question. The problem is I cannot remember where I read it, although my possibly faulty memory says it might have been a written interview in a book or journal. Aside from that, I'm not sure of what I remember, but I *think* the purpose was not just to examine seized equipment, but to also see how the Russians were taking them down (e.g. "the Panthers have a weak spot below the turret that an H.E. round can damage," or somesuch, or "the Germans are using a new type of oil on their guns against the cold."). The guy was, I think, a pretty ordinary tanker who just so happened to be an engineer and speak Russian, so he was promoted and sent out.

    Why I'm interested is that I also recall - possibly falsely - that every such engineer had a Russian officer assigned to him in a political role, and there was a great deal of both conflict and friendship. My memory gives me the impression that they often went onto recently-hot battlefields to check the Russians were not hiding anything.

    I've never been able to track it down again, or find any references to it anywhere else. Then again, it's not my field. It's been nagging at me for years.

    The reason I remember is that I thought it would make a heck of a WWII war novel, if such things sold any more ...

    You are right about it making a possible good film, which is what makes me think it's bogus. If anything its the Russians who had the secrets and the best way to operate in winter. Panthers for instance were always breaking down - certainly in the beginning. The secret to knocking out a German tank was a T34/85 and a KV1, followed by a JS1.

    There is a book about the Tiger captured in Tunisia which dresses the whole thing up as a boy's own adventure. 90% bogus.
  • Options
    CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758

    Scot wins!

    (Best in show at Crufts)

    A dog then.

    Why am I not surprised?
  • Options
    nigel4englandnigel4england Posts: 4,800
    Tim_B said:

    SeanT said:

    Tim_B said:

    SeanT said:

    Mr. VW, upon second reading, you're quite correct. Sorry about that, and well-spotted. [Makes me wonder how many mistakes I've made with the bit of writing I'm working on right now].

    Mr. K, alas, not yet stocked in brick-and-mortar stores [this may change when Sir Edric's Temple is re-released and Sir Edric's Treasure is released via a small press]. Temple can be ordered, as a physical book, from Amazon or Lulu [the latter, despite being a couple of quid cheaper, is better for me]:
    http://www.lulu.com/gb/en/shop/thaddeus-white/sir-edrics-temple/paperback/product-21306938.html

    On maps, I've almost finished a large(ish) scale map [too big for inclusion in a book but I'll put it up on my site at some point]. When I come to trying to sort out the two smaller ones I may include I'll try to remember to give you a bell.

    Nothing wrong with ebooks. Relatedly, I might note that Istweeling ("The Ice Twins") by the mysterious Cornish author "S K Tremayne", is the 3rd best selling ebook in Holland at the moment.

    http://www.ereaders.nl/ibooks_bestsellers

    As an actual "book" it is the eighth best selling book in Holland, at the moment.

    http://www.boekblad.nl/bestseller60-11-nieuwe-boeken-in-de-lijst.247753.lynkx

    Proost.
    Is the mysterious Mr Tremayne planning a sequel, would you know, or just basking in the success of the Ice Twins?

    One of the dangers of climate based titles is global warming, in which case presumably the book could be renamed The Thawed Twins :-)
    I can confidently report that S K Tremayne is right now writing a sequel to the International Bestseller, and Sunday Times bestseller, the ICE TWINS.

    Unfortunately he/she is struggling with it, and has so far written a load of old dosh, due to a bad case of "second album" syndrome.
    - or being buried in all that Dutch charisma has gone to his / her head and caused writer's block.

    Just start with "It was a dark and stormy night" or "Last night I dreamed I went to Manderley again." and let the creative juices make the fingers play an arpeggio on the keyboard.

    To quote that Colossus of the written word, the sage of Chipping Norton, the purveyor of petrol head chic, Jeremy Clarkson, "How hard can it be?" :-)
    Or just watch Poldark for some Cornish inspiration.
  • Options
    CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758
    SeanT said:

    Charles said:

    SeanT said:

    Mr. VW, upon second reading, you're quite correct. Sorry about that, and well-spotted. [Makes me wonder how many mistakes I've made with the bit of writing I'm working on right now].

    Mr. K, alas, not yet stocked in brick-and-mortar stores [this may change when Sir Edric's Temple is re-released and Sir Edric's Treasure is released via a small press]. Temple can be ordered, as a physical book, from Amazon or Lulu [the latter, despite being a couple of quid cheaper, is better for me]:
    http://www.lulu.com/gb/en/shop/thaddeus-white/sir-edrics-temple/paperback/product-21306938.html

    On maps, I've almost finished a large(ish) scale map [too big for inclusion in a book but I'll put it up on my site at some point]. When I come to trying to sort out the two smaller ones I may include I'll try to remember to give you a bell.

    Nothing wrong with ebooks. Relatedly, I might note that Istweeling ("The Ice Twins") by the mysterious Cornish author "S K Tremayne", is the 3rd best selling ebook in Holland at the moment.

    http://www.ereaders.nl/ibooks_bestsellers

    As an actual "book" it is the eighth best selling book in Holland, at the moment.

    http://www.boekblad.nl/bestseller60-11-nieuwe-boeken-in-de-lijst.247753.lynkx

    Proost.
    I've added it to my wishlist on amazon...
    Gratitude.
    I haven't yet exercised the option...

    (by the way, there's enough on your amazon review that the Dutch guys who through you were JK Rowling just hadn't done their basic research...)
  • Options
    Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 49,618
    Tim_B said:

    O/T

    If you've got a clear sky looking west, Venus is visible. And in the east, Jupiter is rising.

    And if you are really lucky, in the distance you may perceive Crossover.....
    Only visible in the southern hemisphere - where it is known as the Southern Cross-over.
    Although the Northern Cross does exist, as an informal name for Cygnus the Swan.

    Speaking of birds, apart from the ubiquitous Mallards, Coots, Moorhens, Mute Swans, Canada Geese and Greylag goose, I saw a Gadwall, Smew, Widgeon, Teal, Ruddy Duck, Shelduck, Pintail, Pochard, Red-Crested Pochard, Mandarin and Barnacle Goose at St James's Park in London, plus those Pelicans :)
    Wasn't there a steam engine called Mallard, a 4-6-2 designed by Sir Nigel Gresley and holding the world speed record for steam locomotives?

    I'm not aware of locomotives called coot, moorhen or mute swan however.....
    Correct about the Mallard. There's a sister-engine called Bittern, though.
  • Options
    Tim_BTim_B Posts: 7,669
    SeanT said:

    Tim_B said:

    SeanT said:

    Tim_B said:

    SeanT said:

    Mr. VW, upon second reading, you're quite correct. Sorry about that, and well-spotted. [Makes me wonder how many mistakes I've made with the bit of writing I'm working on right now].

    Mr. K, alas, not yet stocked in brick-and-mortar stores [this may change when Sir Edric's Temple is re-released and Sir Edric's Treasure is released via a small press]. Temple can be ordered, as a physical book, from Amazon or Lulu [the latter, despite being a couple of quid cheaper, is better for me]:
    http://www.lulu.com/gb/en/shop/thaddeus-white/sir-edrics-temple/paperback/product-21306938.html

    On maps, I've almost finished a large(ish) scale map [too big for inclusion in a book but I'll put it up on my site at some point]. When I come to trying to sort out the two smaller ones I may include I'll try to remember to give you a bell.

    Nothing wrong with ebooks. Relatedly, I might note that Istweeling ("The Ice Twins") by the mysterious Cornish author "S K Tremayne", is the 3rd best selling ebook in Holland at the moment.

    http://www.ereaders.nl/ibooks_bestsellers

    As an actual "book" it is the eighth best selling book in Holland, at the moment.

    http://www.boekblad.nl/bestseller60-11-nieuwe-boeken-in-de-lijst.247753.lynkx

    Proost.
    Is the mysterious Mr Tremayne planning a sequel, would you know, or just basking in the success of the Ice Twins?

    One of the dangers of climate based titles is global warming, in which case presumably the book could be renamed The Thawed Twins :-)
    I can confidently report that S K Tremayne is right now writing a sequel to the International Bestseller, and Sunday Times bestseller, the ICE TWINS.

    Unfortunately he/she is struggling with it, and has so far written a load of old dosh, due to a bad case of "second album" syndrome.
    - or being buried in all that Dutch charisma has gone to his / her head and caused writer's block.

    Just start with "It was a dark and stormy night" or "Last night I dreamed I went to Manderley again." and let the creative juices make the fingers play an arpeggio on the keyboard.

    To quote that Colossus of the written word, the sage of Chipping Norton, the purveyor of petrol head chic, Jeremy Clarkson, "How hard can it be?" :-)
    I actually have quite a nice opening line:

    "The tunnels go under the sea."

    (It's set in the remarkable, coastal Cornish tin-mining country of West Penwith)

    It's just that the next 30,000 words entirely suck.

    Sounds like Tremayne needs to move the Dyson so it's out of sight when sitting at the keyboard. :-)

    Like the opening line - you need a good one to drag the reader in.
  • Options
    FlightpathFlightpath Posts: 4,012

    Indian channel protests against the BBC:
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-31790574

    Do they want to be in the debates as well?
  • Options
    Tim_BTim_B Posts: 7,669

    Tim_B said:

    SeanT said:

    Tim_B said:

    SeanT said:

    Mr. VW, upon second reading, you're quite correct. Sorry about that, and well-spotted. [Makes me wonder how many mistakes I've made with the bit of writing I'm working on right now].

    Mr. K, alas, not yet stocked in brick-and-mortar stores [this may change when Sir Edric's Temple is re-released and Sir Edric's Treasure is released via a small press]. Temple can be ordered, as a physical book, from Amazon or Lulu [the latter, despite being a couple of quid cheaper, is better for me]:
    http://www.lulu.com/gb/en/shop/thaddeus-white/sir-edrics-temple/paperback/product-21306938.html

    On maps, I've almost finished a large(ish) scale map [too big for inclusion in a book but I'll put it up on my site at some point]. When I come to trying to sort out the two smaller ones I may include I'll try to remember to give you a bell.

    Nothing wrong with ebooks. Relatedly, I might note that Istweeling ("The Ice Twins") by the mysterious Cornish author "S K Tremayne", is the 3rd best selling ebook in Holland at the moment.

    http://www.ereaders.nl/ibooks_bestsellers

    As an actual "book" it is the eighth best selling book in Holland, at the moment.

    http://www.boekblad.nl/bestseller60-11-nieuwe-boeken-in-de-lijst.247753.lynkx

    Proost.
    Is the mysterious Mr Tremayne planning a sequel, would you know, or just basking in the success of the Ice Twins?

    One of the dangers of climate based titles is global warming, in which case presumably the book could be renamed The Thawed Twins :-)
    I can confidently report that S K Tremayne is right now writing a sequel to the International Bestseller, and Sunday Times bestseller, the ICE TWINS.

    Unfortunately he/she is struggling with it, and has so far written a load of old dosh, due to a bad case of "second album" syndrome.
    - or being buried in all that Dutch charisma has gone to his / her head and caused writer's block.

    Just start with "It was a dark and stormy night" or "Last night I dreamed I went to Manderley again." and let the creative juices make the fingers play an arpeggio on the keyboard.

    To quote that Colossus of the written word, the sage of Chipping Norton, the purveyor of petrol head chic, Jeremy Clarkson, "How hard can it be?" :-)
    Or just watch Poldark for some Cornish inspiration.
    - or eat a tiddy oggy
  • Options
    CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758
    edited March 2015
    SeanT said:

    SeanT said:

    Tim_B said:

    SeanT said:

    Mr. VW, upon second reading, you're quite correct. Sorry about that, and well-spotted. [Makes me wonder how many mistakes I've made with the bit of writing I'm working on right now].

    Mr. K, alas, not yet stocked in brick-and-mortar stores [this may change when Sir Edric's Temple is re-released and Sir Edric's Treasure is released via a small press]. Temple can be ordered, as a physical book, from Amazon or Lulu [the latter, despite being a couple of quid cheaper, is better for me]:
    http://www.lulu.com/gb/en/shop/thaddeus-white/sir-edrics-temple/paperback/product-21306938.html

    On maps, I've almost finished a large(ish) scale map [too big for inclusion in a book but I'll put it up on my site at some point]. When I come to trying to sort out the two smaller ones I may include I'll try to remember to give you a bell.

    Nothing wrong with ebooks. Relatedly, I might note that Istweeling ("The Ice Twins") by the mysterious Cornish author "S K Tremayne", is the 3rd best selling ebook in Holland at the moment.

    http://www.ereaders.nl/ibooks_bestsellers

    As an actual "book" it is the eighth best selling book in Holland, at the moment.

    http://www.boekblad.nl/bestseller60-11-nieuwe-boeken-in-de-lijst.247753.lynkx

    Proost.
    Is the mysterious Mr Tremayne planning a sequel, would you know, or just basking in the success of the Ice Twins?

    One of the dangers of climate based titles is global warming, in which case presumably the book could be renamed The Thawed Twins :-)
    I can confidently report that S K Tremayne is right now writing a sequel to the International Bestseller, and Sunday Times bestseller, the ICE TWINS.

    Unfortunately he/she is struggling with it, and has so far written a load of old tosh, due to a bad case of "second album" syndrome.
    Just to remind you that, as a Devonian, you should not be watching the superior Cornishmen on BBC 1 now. ;-)

    Dish o'tay, Capt'n Poldark?
    Got it on Sky Plus. Gonna watch in a minute, after my curry is done. Proper job.
    I was very fond of Angharad Rees Cazenove, who was the star of the original Poldark, so don't think I could enjoy a remake.

    Some of the stories about I could tell you, ...
  • Options
    sad to see Lab most seats on betfair recommence it's drift.... despite badgers, nhs, donors, debategate.

    it's so unfair.
  • Options
    Tim_BTim_B Posts: 7,669

    Tim_B said:

    O/T

    If you've got a clear sky looking west, Venus is visible. And in the east, Jupiter is rising.

    And if you are really lucky, in the distance you may perceive Crossover.....
    Only visible in the southern hemisphere - where it is known as the Southern Cross-over.
    Although the Northern Cross does exist, as an informal name for Cygnus the Swan.

    Speaking of birds, apart from the ubiquitous Mallards, Coots, Moorhens, Mute Swans, Canada Geese and Greylag goose, I saw a Gadwall, Smew, Widgeon, Teal, Ruddy Duck, Shelduck, Pintail, Pochard, Red-Crested Pochard, Mandarin and Barnacle Goose at St James's Park in London, plus those Pelicans :)
    Wasn't there a steam engine called Mallard, a 4-6-2 designed by Sir Nigel Gresley and holding the world speed record for steam locomotives?

    I'm not aware of locomotives called coot, moorhen or mute swan however.....
    Correct about the Mallard. There's a sister-engine called Bittern, though.
    Good job they took inspiration from birds and not food or animals. Otherwise you'd have names like Shitzu and Spotted Dick.
  • Options
    Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 49,618
    edited March 2015

    Alistair said:

    Pulpstar said:

    Alistair said:

    calum said:

    I note that Lord Ashcroft had Jim Murphy 1% ahead of the SNP. I've just had a look at the tables and as far as I could see, the SNP seem to be ahead on all measures, even on the second stage think of candidates who might be standing question. Results below:

    http://lordashcroftpolls.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Renfrewshire-East-Full-tables-Feb-15-LAM124A.pdf

    Apologies if this is an old issue which has already been flagged.

    I agree with you, table 6 - which is the second question turnout adjusted - has SNP Labour as tied not Labour 1% ahead.
    Lab: 226
    SNP: 231

    I have tweeted the Good Lord to see if an error has been made.
    Table 6 is isn't the final figures, they are the the figures before the spiral of silence adjustment.
    Spiral of shy Labour ;)
    Do we know what his spiral formula/calculations are?
    I think he he is following ICM's spiral of silence adjustment, which is to allocate 50% of Don't Knows/Refused to Sayers to the party they voted for last time in 2010.
    That's what I've been assuming with his national polls since August. Sometimes (I've found mostly LibDem %) the published VI doesn't tally with the calculated figures...
  • Options
    MikeSmithsonMikeSmithson Posts: 7,382

    sad to see Lab most seats on betfair recommence it's drift.... despite badgers, nhs, donors, debategate.

    it's so unfair.

    All it does is offer better bargain. If you are betting on the toss of a coin then anything longer than evens is value bet.

    Remember Tory punters have form in grossly over-exaggerating their position.
  • Options
    CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758
    SeanT said:

    Charles said:

    SeanT said:

    Charles said:

    SeanT said:

    Mr. VW, upon second reading, you're quite correct. Sorry about that, and well-spotted. [Makes me wonder how many mistakes I've made with the bit of writing I'm working on right now].

    Mr. K, alas, not yet stocked in brick-and-mortar stores [this may change when Sir Edric's Temple is re-released and Sir Edric's Treasure is released via a small press]. Temple can be ordered, as a physical book, from Amazon or Lulu [the latter, despite being a couple of quid cheaper, is better for me]:
    http://www.lulu.com/gb/en/shop/thaddeus-white/sir-edrics-temple/paperback/product-21306938.html

    On maps, I've almost finished a large(ish) scale map [too big for inclusion in a book but I'll put it up on my site at some point]. When I come to trying to sort out the two smaller ones I may include I'll try to remember to give you a bell.

    Nothing wrong with ebooks. Relatedly, I might note that Istweeling ("The Ice Twins") by the mysterious Cornish author "S K Tremayne", is the 3rd best selling ebook in Holland at the moment.

    http://www.ereaders.nl/ibooks_bestsellers

    As an actual "book" it is the eighth best selling book in Holland, at the moment.

    http://www.boekblad.nl/bestseller60-11-nieuwe-boeken-in-de-lijst.247753.lynkx

    Proost.
    I've added it to my wishlist on amazon...
    Gratitude.
    I haven't yet exercised the option...

    (by the way, there's enough on your amazon review that the Dutch guys who through you were JK Rowling just hadn't done their basic research...)
    I know. Three minutes Googling would reveal the truth.

    It's doing great business in the Netherlands though. The publishers have had to reprint twice in the first ten days.

    I am not at liberty to reveal the splendid news from Hollywood. Yet.
    Make sure your cut comes off gross revenues or as near as you can get to it. Hollywood is notorious for ensuring that there are never any "profits" to share
  • Options
    CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758

    sad to see Lab most seats on betfair recommence it's drift.... despite badgers, nhs, donors, debategate.

    it's so unfair.

    All it does is offer better bargain. If you are betting on the toss of a coin then anything longer than evens is value bet.

    Remember Tory punters have form in grossly over-exaggerating their position.
    While you know better than everyone else, of course
  • Options
    JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 39,220

    o/t and fpt:

    Can I thank everyone for their replies wrt my tanks question. The problem is I cannot remember where I read it, although my possibly faulty memory says it might have been a written interview in a book or journal. Aside from that, I'm not sure of what I remember, but I *think* the purpose was not just to examine seized equipment, but to also see how the Russians were taking them down (e.g. "the Panthers have a weak spot below the turret that an H.E. round can damage," or somesuch, or "the Germans are using a new type of oil on their guns against the cold."). The guy was, I think, a pretty ordinary tanker who just so happened to be an engineer and speak Russian, so he was promoted and sent out.

    Why I'm interested is that I also recall - possibly falsely - that every such engineer had a Russian officer assigned to him in a political role, and there was a great deal of both conflict and friendship. My memory gives me the impression that they often went onto recently-hot battlefields to check the Russians were not hiding anything.

    I've never been able to track it down again, or find any references to it anywhere else. Then again, it's not my field. It's been nagging at me for years.

    The reason I remember is that I thought it would make a heck of a WWII war novel, if such things sold any more ...

    You are right about it making a possible good film, which is what makes me think it's bogus. If anything its the Russians who had the secrets and the best way to operate in winter. Panthers for instance were always breaking down - certainly in the beginning. The secret to knocking out a German tank was a T34/85 and a KV1, followed by a JS1.

    There is a book about the Tiger captured in Tunisia which dresses the whole thing up as a boy's own adventure. 90% bogus.
    The point is it was reciprocal: the Russians had a few men in our units doing similar work as well. There's lots of things they would have wanted to know about the kit the Germans were sending against us as well.

    You are also rather missing the point it was other equipment as well, not just tanks. Heck, some part of our war machine might have wanted to know what sort of tea the Germans were drinking at the front ... ;-)

    I can see it makes some sense for it to have happened but, aside from the initial thing I read, I've seen no other references. It might just be a folly of memory, but still ...
  • Options
    JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 39,220

    o/t and fpt:

    Can I thank everyone for their replies wrt my tanks question. The problem is I cannot remember where I read it, although my possibly faulty memory says it might have been a written interview in a book or journal. Aside from that, I'm not sure of what I remember, but I *think* the purpose was not just to examine seized equipment, but to also see how the Russians were taking them down (e.g. "the Panthers have a weak spot below the turret that an H.E. round can damage," or somesuch, or "the Germans are using a new type of oil on their guns against the cold."). The guy was, I think, a pretty ordinary tanker who just so happened to be an engineer and speak Russian, so he was promoted and sent out.

    Why I'm interested is that I also recall - possibly falsely - that every such engineer had a Russian officer assigned to him in a political role, and there was a great deal of both conflict and friendship. My memory gives me the impression that they often went onto recently-hot battlefields to check the Russians were not hiding anything.

    I've never been able to track it down again, or find any references to it anywhere else. Then again, it's not my field. It's been nagging at me for years.

    The reason I remember is that I thought it would make a heck of a WWII war novel, if such things sold any more ...

    JJ. Right up until the end of the Cold War there were a set of officers from each side who were basically allowed to roam around the opposite side's countries, watching their military exercises and given free access to pretty much anywhere on the ground during the exercises as a means of reinforcing trust between each side about their actions. A friend of mine - who is still a serving RAF officer - was part of one of these units. They didn't file travel plans and under a series of treaties between NATO and the Russians they were not allowed to be stopped from making observations where-ever they wanted.

    When I saw your question earlier today I was cursing myself that it had not been asked a year ago. I lost a good friend in September who had served as the 'Opposing Force Expert' for the US 177th Armoured Brigade and who directed the 'Forces Command Opposing Forces Training Program' for the US military. His job basically was to look at every aspect of the potential enemy's resources, from their vehicles to the tactics and everything imbetween and work out the best way to fight it. Hell of a job.
    Thanks; that sounds similar to what I read (except they were embedded within an ally (soon to be an enemy) to examine an enemy. I got the impression the guy was just a skilled grunt rather than a well-placed officer. But again, that could be very faulty memory.

    It certainly makes it more possible that it was going on in WWII.
  • Options
    CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758
    edited March 2015
    SeanT said:

    Charles said:

    SeanT said:

    Charles said:

    SeanT said:

    Charles said:

    SeanT said:

    Mr. VW, upon second reading, you're quite correct. Sorry about that, and well-spotted. [Makes me wonder how many mistakes I've made with the bit of writing I'm working on right now].

    Mr. K, alas, not yet stocked in brick-and-mortar stores [this may change when Sir Edric's Temple is re-released and Sir Edric's Treasure is released via a small press]. Temple can be ordered, as a physical book, from Amazon or Lulu [the latter, despite being a couple of quid cheaper, is better for me]:
    http://www.lulu.com/gb/en/shop/thaddeus-white/sir-edrics-temple/paperback/product-21306938.html

    On maps, I've almost finished a large(ish) scale map [too big for inclusion in a book but I'll put it up on my site at some point]. When I come to trying to sort out the two smaller ones I may include I'll try to remember to give you a bell.

    Nothing wrong with ebooks. Relatedly, I might note that Istweeling ("The Ice Twins") by the mysterious Cornish author "S K Tremayne", is the 3rd best selling ebook in Holland at the moment.

    http://www.ereaders.nl/ibooks_bestsellers

    As an actual "book" it is the eighth best selling book in Holland, at the moment.

    http://www.boekblad.nl/bestseller60-11-nieuwe-boeken-in-de-lijst.247753.lynkx

    Proost.
    I've added it to my wishlist on amazon...
    Gratitude.
    I haven't yet exercised the option...

    (by the way, there's enough on your amazon review that the Dutch guys who through you were JK Rowling just hadn't done their basic research...)
    I know. Three minutes Googling would reveal the truth.

    It's doing great business in the Netherlands though. The publishers have had to reprint twice in the first ten days.

    I am not at liberty to reveal the splendid news from Hollywood. Yet.
    Make sure your cut comes off gross revenues or as near as you can get to it. Hollywood is notorious for ensuring that there are never any "profits" to share
    Don't woryy, due to my Dad's experience with the Endless Non-Making of the White Hotel, and various pals who actually make Hollywood movies, I am no naif.

    Most books that are optioned do not get made. For various reasons which, as yet, I can't reveal, I am hopeful SKTremayne's "debut" might just be an exception.
    Ah, so you're the guy that's done that deal with 'Them' then.

    :relaxed:
  • Options
    AlastairMeeksAlastairMeeks Posts: 30,340
    Charles said:

    sad to see Lab most seats on betfair recommence it's drift.... despite badgers, nhs, donors, debategate.

    it's so unfair.

    All it does is offer better bargain. If you are betting on the toss of a coin then anything longer than evens is value bet.

    Remember Tory punters have form in grossly over-exaggerating their position.
    While you know better than everyone else, of course
    There is marginal evidence of a drift from Labour to the Conservatives. Very marginal evidence. The price movements do not seem to be connected with that very marginal evidence.

    I'm on Labour Most Seats and I'm very happy with that.
  • Options
    CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758
    antifrank said:

    Charles said:

    sad to see Lab most seats on betfair recommence it's drift.... despite badgers, nhs, donors, debategate.

    it's so unfair.

    All it does is offer better bargain. If you are betting on the toss of a coin then anything longer than evens is value bet.

    Remember Tory punters have form in grossly over-exaggerating their position.
    While you know better than everyone else, of course
    There is marginal evidence of a drift from Labour to the Conservatives. Very marginal evidence. The price movements do not seem to be connected with that very marginal evidence.

    I'm on Labour Most Seats and I'm very happy with that.
    I was commenting on Mike's tone, not his substance. Especially after this morning's grumpiness.
  • Options
    Scott_PScott_P Posts: 51,453
    Nae luck

    @C_KAndrews: EXCLUSIVE: Dundee Labour candidate Lesley Brennan “can’t turn down” Tony Blair general election donation http://t.co/YUXvLovx6D
  • Options
    PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 76,034
    antifrank said:

    Charles said:

    sad to see Lab most seats on betfair recommence it's drift.... despite badgers, nhs, donors, debategate.

    it's so unfair.

    All it does is offer better bargain. If you are betting on the toss of a coin then anything longer than evens is value bet.

    Remember Tory punters have form in grossly over-exaggerating their position.
    While you know better than everyone else, of course
    There is marginal evidence of a drift from Labour to the Conservatives. Very marginal evidence. The price movements do not seem to be connected with that very marginal evidence.

    I'm on Labour Most Seats and I'm very happy with that.
    I've got more profit on Con most seats, but I'll most likely win more with Lad most seats due to indirect/related bets.

    I'm happy enough with that.
  • Options
    CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758
    edited March 2015
    SeanT said:



    I too was totally in love with Demelza/Angharad Rees - that naughty smile, and those coils of coppery hair!

    https://robinellisdotnet.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/img_0924.jpg

    She was up there with Debbie Harry in my young adolescent daydreams.

    She was great friends of my Dad and godfather, so I actually got to hang out with her as a young adolescent

    :love::blush::sunglasses:
  • Options
    MTimTMTimT Posts: 7,034
    SeanT said:

    Charles said:

    SeanT said:

    SeanT said:

    Tim_B said:

    SeanT said:

    Mr. VW, upon second reading, you're quite correct. Sorry about that, and well-spotted. [Makes me wonder how many mistakes I've made with the bit of writing I'm working on right now].

    Mr. K, alas, not yet stocked in brick-and-mortar stores [this may change when Sir Edric's Temple is re-released and Sir Edric's Treasure is released via a small press]. Temple can be ordered, as a physical book, from Amazon or Lulu [the latter, despite being a couple of quid cheaper, is better for me]:
    http://www.lulu.com/gb/en/shop/thaddeus-white/sir-edrics-temple/paperback/product-21306938.html

    On maps, I've almost finished a large(ish) scale map [too big for inclusion in a book but I'll put it up on my site at some point]. When I come to trying to sort out the two smaller ones I may include I'll try to remember to give you a bell.

    Nothing wrong with ebooks. Relatedly, I might note that Istweeling ("The Ice Twins") by the mysterious Cornish author "S K Tremayne", is the 3rd best selling ebook in Holland at the moment.

    http://www.ereaders.nl/ibooks_bestsellers

    As an actual "book" it is the eighth best selling book in Holland, at the moment.

    http://www.boekblad.nl/bestseller60-11-nieuwe-boeken-in-de-lijst.247753.lynkx

    Proost.
    Is the mysterious Mr Tremayne planning a sequel, would you know, or just basking in the success of the Ice Twins?

    One of the dangers of climate based titles is global warming, in which case presumably the book could be renamed The Thawed Twins :-)
    I can confidently report that S K Tremayne is right now writing a sequel to the International Bestseller, and Sunday Times bestseller, the ICE TWINS.

    Unfortunately he/she is struggling with it, and has so far written a load of old tosh, due to a bad case of "second album" syndrome.
    Just to remind you that, as a Devonian, you should not be watching the superior Cornishmen on BBC 1 now. ;-)

    Dish o'tay, Capt'n Poldark?
    Got it on Sky Plus. Gonna watch in a minute, after my curry is done. Proper job.
    I was very fond of Angharad Rees Cazenove, who was the star of the original Poldark, so don't think I could enjoy a remake.

    Some of the stories about I could tell you, ...
    I too was totally in love with Demelza/Angharad Rees - that naughty smile, and those coils of coppery hair!

    https://robinellisdotnet.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/img_0924.jpg

    She was up there with Debbie Harry in my young adolescent daydreams.
    Sean, for me it was Angharad Rees Cazenove, Cheryl Ladd (Charlies Angels) and Pam Dawber (Mork and Mindy)
  • Options
    MikeKMikeK Posts: 9,053
    SeanT said:

    Charles said:

    SeanT said:

    SeanT said:

    Tim_B said:

    SeanT said:

    Mr. VW, upon second reading, you're quite correct. Sorry about that, and well-spotted. [Makes me wonder how many mistakes I've made with the bit of writing I'm working on right now].

    Mr. K, alas, not yet stocked in brick-and-mortar stores [this may change when Sir Edric's Temple is re-released and Sir Edric's Treasure is released via a small press]. Temple can be ordered, as a physical book, from Amazon or Lulu [the latter, despite being a couple of quid cheaper, is better for me]:
    http://www.lulu.com/gb/en/shop/thaddeus-white/sir-edrics-temple/paperback/product-21306938.html

    On maps, I've almost finished a large(ish) scale map [too big for inclusion in a book but I'll put it up on my site at some point]. When I come to trying to sort out the two smaller ones I may include I'll try to remember to give you a bell.

    Nothing wrong with ebooks. Relatedly, I might note that Istweeling ("The Ice Twins") by the mysterious Cornish author "S K Tremayne", is the 3rd best selling ebook in Holland at the moment.

    http://www.ereaders.nl/ibooks_bestsellers

    As an actual "book" it is the eighth best selling book in Holland, at the moment.

    http://www.boekblad.nl/bestseller60-11-nieuwe-boeken-in-de-lijst.247753.lynkx

    Proost.
    Is the mysterious Mr Tremayne planning a sequel, would you know, or just basking in the success of the Ice Twins?

    One of the dangers of climate based titles is global warming, in which case presumably the book could be renamed The Thawed Twins :-)
    I can confidently report that S K Tremayne is right now writing a sequel to the International Bestseller, and Sunday Times bestseller, the ICE TWINS.

    Unfortunately he/she is struggling with it, and has so far written a load of old tosh, due to a bad case of "second album" syndrome.
    Just to remind you that, as a Devonian, you should not be watching the superior Cornishmen on BBC 1 now. ;-)

    Dish o'tay, Capt'n Poldark?
    Got it on Sky Plus. Gonna watch in a minute, after my curry is done. Proper job.
    I was very fond of Angharad Rees Cazenove, who was the star of the original Poldark, so don't think I could enjoy a remake.

    Some of the stories about I could tell you, ...
    I too was totally in love with Demelza/Angharad Rees - that naughty smile, and those coils of coppery hair!

    https://robinellisdotnet.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/img_0924.jpg

    She was up there with Debbie Harry in my young adolescent daydreams.
    When Demelza/Angharad Rees first appeared in the original Poldark, I was stunned by her raving sexuality. Lovely memory.
  • Options
    SimonStClareSimonStClare Posts: 7,976
    Charles said:

    SeanT said:



    I too was totally in love with Demelza/Angharad Rees - that naughty smile, and those coils of coppery hair!

    https://robinellisdotnet.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/img_0924.jpg

    She was up there with Debbie Harry in my young adolescent daydreams.

    She was great friends of my Dad and godfather, so I actually got to hang out with her as a young adolescent

    :love::blush::sunglasses:
    You lucky bugger - I thought she was gorgeous, and admit to a big teenage crush then.
  • Options
    CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758
    SeanT said:

    Charles said:

    SeanT said:



    I too was totally in love with Demelza/Angharad Rees - that naughty smile, and those coils of coppery hair!

    https://robinellisdotnet.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/img_0924.jpg

    She was up there with Debbie Harry in my young adolescent daydreams.

    She was great friends of my Dad and godfather, so I actually got to hang out with her as a young adolescent

    :love::blush::sunglasses:
    You, Sir, have my respect, and no little jealousy.

    Was she as sexy in real life?
    NSFW...

    [and very very mischievous]

    (If you buy me enough drinks at the next meet up, I'll tell you about the time she and the class from the dance school she was teaching stayed at my Dad's bachelor pad...)
  • Options
    SquareRootSquareRoot Posts: 7,095

    On topic

    So if the TV debates fail to happen, the public will at least be left with the impression of the Prime Minister as an astute tactician.

    Well I suppose the more 'optimistic' Tories might see it that way but I suspect the majority of voters will see it as a piece of base political maneuvering that demonstrates

    1) That Cameron has no confidence in defending his government's record in a formal debate against his main opponents
    2) That Cameron puts his own and his party's self interest before the reputation of our political system and the best interests of democracy
    3) That Cameron fears his political abilities will be shown up as inadequate (much as they were in 2010)
    4) That Cameron once again says one thing and does the opposite.

    Only if you are a lefty, Dave is astute.
    So I am a leftie now am I? Clearly you know the square root of nothing.......
    I never said you were, just the points you were were bracketing are what lefties would think.
  • Options
    Ishmael_XIshmael_X Posts: 3,664
    SeanT said:

    Charles said:

    SeanT said:

    Charles said:

    SeanT said:

    Charles said:

    SeanT said:

    Mr. VW, upon second reading, you're quite correct. Sorry about that, and well-spotted. [Makes me wonder how many mistakes I've made with the bit of writing I'm working on right now].

    Mr. K, alas, not yet stocked in brick-and-mortar stores [this may change when Sir Edric's Temple is re-released and Sir Edric's Treasure is released via a small press]. Temple can be ordered, as a physical book, from Amazon or Lulu [the latter, despite being a couple of quid cheaper, is better for me]:
    http://www.lulu.com/gb/en/shop/thaddeus-white/sir-edrics-temple/paperback/product-21306938.html

    On maps, I've almost finished a large(ish) scale map [too big for inclusion in a book but I'll put it up on my site at some point]. When I come to trying to sort out the two smaller ones I may include I'll try to remember to give you a bell.

    Nothing wrong with ebooks. Relatedly, I might note that Istweeling ("The Ice Twins") by the mysterious Cornish author "S K Tremayne", is the 3rd best selling ebook in Holland at the moment.

    http://www.ereaders.nl/ibooks_bestsellers

    As an actual "book" it is the eighth best selling book in Holland, at the moment.

    http://www.boekblad.nl/bestseller60-11-nieuwe-boeken-in-de-lijst.247753.lynkx

    Proost.
    I've added it to my wishlist on amazon...
    Gratitude.
    I haven't yet exercised the option...

    (by the way, there's enough on your amazon review that the Dutch guys who through you were JK Rowling just hadn't done their basic research...)
    I know. Three minutes Googling would reveal the truth.

    It's doing great business in the Netherlands though. The publishers have had to reprint twice in the first ten days.

    I am not at liberty to reveal the splendid news from Hollywood. Yet.
    Make sure your cut comes off gross revenues or as near as you can get to it. Hollywood is notorious for ensuring that there are never any "profits" to share
    Don't woryy, due to my Dad's experience with the Endless Non-Making of the White Hotel, and various pals who actually make Hollywood movies, I am no naif.

    Most books that are optioned do not get made. For various reasons which, as yet, I can't reveal, I am hopeful SKTremayne's "debut" might just be an exception.
    I'd've thought TWH was unfilmable. It makes no sense without the last page and how would you film that?
  • Options
    AlistairAlistair Posts: 23,670
    Pulpstar said:

    antifrank said:

    Charles said:

    sad to see Lab most seats on betfair recommence it's drift.... despite badgers, nhs, donors, debategate.

    it's so unfair.

    All it does is offer better bargain. If you are betting on the toss of a coin then anything longer than evens is value bet.

    Remember Tory punters have form in grossly over-exaggerating their position.
    While you know better than everyone else, of course
    There is marginal evidence of a drift from Labour to the Conservatives. Very marginal evidence. The price movements do not seem to be connected with that very marginal evidence.

    I'm on Labour Most Seats and I'm very happy with that.
    I've got more profit on Con most seats, but I'll most likely win more with Lad most seats due to indirect/related bets.

    I'm happy enough with that.
    I have traded out of any position that doesn't get me free money in Scotland.
  • Options


    Wasn't there a steam engine called Mallard, a 4-6-2 designed by Sir Nigel Gresley and holding the world speed record for steam locomotives?

    I'm not aware of locomotives called coot, moorhen or mute swan however.....

    Correct about the Mallard. There's a sister-engine called Bittern, though.

    Wonderful steam engines that I used to see daily from our classrooms at Berwick Grammar School in the late 1950s

  • Options
    TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 40,389



    Thanks; that sounds similar to what I read (except they were embedded within an ally (soon to be an enemy) to examine an enemy. I got the impression the guy was just a skilled grunt rather than a well-placed officer. But again, that could be very faulty memory.

    It certainly makes it more possible that it was going on in WWII.

    There were almost certainly mechanics/technicians sent over with the fairly duff Valentines & Matildas we sent over for Lend Lease. How long they stayed on is anyone's guess.
  • Options
    Tim_BTim_B Posts: 7,669
    edited March 2015
    To whoever it was who said that Rory McIlroy played with 14 clubs yesterday after throwing his 3 iron into the lake Friday (which he almost did again today), every press report I have seen reports the 13 number, as do ESPN and Golf Channel, plus NBC coverage today.

    Sample press report -

    http://espn.go.com/golf/story/_/id/12440497/rory-mcilroy-plays-tossed-3-iron-saturday-wgc-cadillac-championship-doral

    I have to admit I didn't see any coverage yesterday as I was buying my daughter a car. It took a while, as I don't want her driving anything that doesn't have a proper chassis, which means either an SUV or a pickup truck, (specifically the F series truck, the best selling vehicle in the US for 38 years).
  • Options
    Scrapheap_as_wasScrapheap_as_was Posts: 10,060
    edited March 2015

    sad to see Lab most seats on betfair recommence it's drift.... despite badgers, nhs, donors, debategate.

    it's so unfair.

    All it does is offer better bargain. If you are betting on the toss of a coin then anything longer than evens is value bet.

    Remember Tory punters have form in grossly over-exaggerating their position.
    The question is do hedge out with a whacking nearly £1k on Labour and then lock in a profit regardless of £250 on the reds or £480 on the blues... or keep rolling with the blue mo!

    I'm a spurs fan.... I could do that and then you'd know for sure the Lib Dems would win most seats...
  • Options
    MikeKMikeK Posts: 9,053
    BA plane in trouble, returning to LHR. Reason Unknown:
    http://emergency.airlive.net/
  • Options
    Just a point in the thread I thought it was 23% who blamed the broadcasters and 13% both which is not the figures quoted. Maybe I am wrong but I dont think so
  • Options
    FlightpathFlightpath Posts: 4,012

    o/t and fpt:

    Can I thank everyone for their replies wrt my tanks question. The problem is I cannot remember where I read it, although my possibly faulty memory says it might have been a written interview in a book or journal. Aside from that, I'm not sure of what I remember, but I *think* the purpose was not just to examine seized equipment, but to also see how the Russians were taking them down (e.g. "the Panthers have a weak spot below the turret that an H.E. round can damage," or somesuch, or "the Germans are using a new type of oil on their guns against the cold."). The guy was, I think, a pretty ordinary tanker who just so happened to be an engineer and speak Russian, so he was promoted and sent out.

    Why I'm interested is that I also recall - possibly falsely - that every such engineer had a Russian officer assigned to him in a political role, and there was a great deal of both conflict and friendship. My memory gives me the impression that they often went onto recently-hot battlefields to check the Russians were not hiding anything.

    I've never been able to track it down again, or find any references to it anywhere else. Then again, it's not my field. It's been nagging at me for years.

    The reason I remember is that I thought it would make a heck of a WWII war novel, if such things sold any more ...

    You are right about it making a possible good film, which is what makes me think it's bogus. If anything its the Russians who had the secrets and the best way to operate in winter. Panthers for instance were always breaking down - certainly in the beginning. The secret to knocking out a German tank was a T34/85 and a KV1, followed by a JS1.

    There is a book about the Tiger captured in Tunisia which dresses the whole thing up as a boy's own adventure. 90% bogus.
    The point is it was reciprocal: the Russians had a few men in our units doing similar work as well. There's lots of things they would have wanted to know about the kit the Germans were sending against us as well.

    You are also rather missing the point it was other equipment as well, not just tanks. Heck, some part of our war machine might have wanted to know what sort of tea the Germans were drinking at the front ... ;-)

    I can see it makes some sense for it to have happened but, aside from the initial thing I read, I've seen no other references. It might just be a folly of memory, but still ...
    Your points are fair enough and the notion is quite interesting. My objections are not important in the great scheme of things. The job description being mooted seems to be that of a Military Attache.
    I can only add that it still all sounds a bit bogus to me and that the tea the Germans were drinking was probably ersatz.
  • Options
    Tim_BTim_B Posts: 7,669



    Wasn't there a steam engine called Mallard, a 4-6-2 designed by Sir Nigel Gresley and holding the world speed record for steam locomotives?

    I'm not aware of locomotives called coot, moorhen or mute swan however.....

    Correct about the Mallard. There's a sister-engine called Bittern, though.

    Wonderful steam engines that I used to see daily from our classrooms at Berwick Grammar School in the late 1950s



    You can still see Mallard at the Railway Museum in York.
  • Options
    Ishmael_XIshmael_X Posts: 3,664
    SeanT said:

    Ishmael_X said:

    SeanT said:

    Charles said:

    SeanT said:

    Charles said:

    SeanT said:

    Charles said:

    SeanT said:

    Mr. VW, upon second reading, you're quite correct. Sorry about that, and well-spotted. [Makes me wonder how many mistakes I've made with the bit of writing I'm working on right now].

    u a bell.

    Nothing wrong with ebooks. Relatedly, I might note that Istweeling ("The Ice Twins") by the mysterious Cornish author "S K Tremayne", is the 3rd best selling ebook in Holland at the moment.

    http://www.ereaders.nl/ibooks_bestsellers

    As an actual "book" it is the eighth best selling book in Holland, at the moment.

    http://www.boekblad.nl/bestseller60-11-nieuwe-boeken-in-de-lijst.247753.lynkx

    Proost.
    I've added it to my wishlist on amazon...
    Gratitude.
    I haven't yet exercised the option...

    (by the way, there's enough on your amazon review that the Dutch guys who through you were JK Rowling just hadn't done their basic research...)
    news from Hollywood. Yet.
    Make sure your cut comes off gross revenues or as near as you can get to it. Hollywood is notorious for ensuring that there are never any "profits" to share
    debut" might just be an exception.
    I'd've thought TWH was unfilmable. It makes no sense without the last page and how would you film that?
    The last chapter of TWH is by far the weakest. It's almost silly. The dream version of post-Holocaust Israel, where everyone is in heaven, no, wait, Palestine? The book (in my unbiassed opinion) is completely brilliant, until the ending, which significantly weakens it (but it's still a great book).

    I've asked my Dad why he wrote it and his best explanation is that he just couldn't bear to leave it with Babi Yar and the Holocaust, it was too depressing. He needed some Redemption so he stuck that daft ending on.

    If so, I reckon Spielberg did the same with Schindler's List. He created a masterpiece about the Holocaust, but then in his desperation at the darkness of his material, he marred it, quite badly (but not fatally), with an epilogue set in Israel, where all the "survivors" lay stones on Schindler's grave for about 19 hours.

    In my dad's case he should have finished with maybe a poem about Israel. Just two pages. Or a brief dream scene. Spielberg should have reduced his final half hour to one image of a trembling flower in the Judaean hills, then CUT.
    Sorry I meant the final Babi Yar bit, not the epilogueish bit. Not read it for 25 years so working from memory.
  • Options
    TGOHFTGOHF Posts: 21,633

    sad to see Lab most seats on betfair recommence it's drift.... despite badgers, nhs, donors, debategate.

    it's so unfair.

    All it does is offer better bargain. If you are betting on the toss of a coin then anything longer than evens is value bet.

    Remember Tory punters have form in grossly over-exaggerating their position.
    Tossing a coin is not the same as the electorate choosing between Dave and the Miliband boy.

  • Options
    Tim_BTim_B Posts: 7,669
    SeanT said:

    Ishmael_X said:

    SeanT said:

    Charles said:

    SeanT said:

    Charles said:

    SeanT said:

    Charles said:

    SeanT said:

    Mr. VW, upon second reading, you're quite correct. Sorry about that, and well-spotted. [Makes me wonder how many mistakes I've made with the bit of writing I'm working on right now].

    u a bell.

    Nothing wrong with ebooks. Relatedly, I might note that Istweeling ("The Ice Twins") by the mysterious Cornish author "S K Tremayne", is the 3rd best selling ebook in Holland at the moment.

    http://www.ereaders.nl/ibooks_bestsellers

    As an actual "book" it is the eighth best selling book in Holland, at the moment.

    http://www.boekblad.nl/bestseller60-11-nieuwe-boeken-in-de-lijst.247753.lynkx

    Proost.
    I've added it to my wishlist on amazon...
    Gratitude.
    I haven't yet exercised the option...

    (by the way, there's enough on your amazon review that the Dutch guys who through you were JK Rowling just hadn't done their basic research...)
    news from Hollywood. Yet.
    Make sure your cut comes off gross revenues or as near as you can get to it. Hollywood is notorious for ensuring that there are never any "profits" to share
    debut" might just be an exception.
    I'd've thought TWH was unfilmable. It makes no sense without the last page and how would you film that?
    The last chapter of TWH is by far the weakest. It's almost silly. The dream version of post-Holocaust Israel, where everyone is in heaven, no, wait, Palestine? The book (in my unbiassed opinion) is completely brilliant, until the ending, which significantly weakens it (but it's still a great book).

    I've asked my Dad why he wrote it and his best explanation is that he just couldn't bear to leave it with Babi Yar and the Holocaust, it was too depressing. He needed some Redemption so he stuck that daft ending on.

    If so, I reckon Spielberg did the same with Schindler's List. He created a masterpiece about the Holocaust, but then in his desperation at the darkness of his material, he marred it, quite badly (but not fatally), with an epilogue set in Israel, where all the "survivors" lay stones on Schindler's grave for about 19 hours.

    In my dad's case he should have finished with maybe a poem about Israel. Just two pages. Or a brief dream scene. Spielberg should have reduced his final half hour to one image of a trembling flower in the Judaean hills, then CUT.
    Spielberg has always had a tendency for schlock and awe.
  • Options
    Tim_B said:



    Wasn't there a steam engine called Mallard, a 4-6-2 designed by Sir Nigel Gresley and holding the world speed record for steam locomotives?

    I'm not aware of locomotives called coot, moorhen or mute swan however.....

    Correct about the Mallard. There's a sister-engine called Bittern, though.
    Wonderful steam engines that I used to see daily from our classrooms at Berwick Grammar School in the late 1950s



    You can still see Mallard at the Railway Museum in York.

    Yes I have seen her there. I remember the teachers allowing us all to go to the railings by the track to see the famous Mallard as she wasnt often seen though Bittern and other sister locomotives were. They were really impressive when pulling the Pullman as it didnt stop at Berwick and in full steam they were magnificient
  • Options
    CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758
    MikeK said:

    BA plane in trouble, returning to LHR. Reason Unknown:
    http://emergency.airlive.net/

    Not uncommon - we were on one that turned back & the air crew told us it happened about once a week
  • Options
    JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 39,220
    SeanT said:


    I actually have quite a nice opening line:

    "The tunnels go under the sea."

    (It's set in the remarkable, coastal Cornish tin-mining country of West Penwith)

    It's just that the next 30,000 words entirely suck.

    I suppose you've read R.M. Ballantyne's "Deep down, a story of Cornish mines" ? The text is available for free on Gutenberg. It's not exactly the most modern prose, but it captures some of the feel of what tin mining was like, at least to me, with little of the romance that later and more able writers tried to put in it.

    http://www.gutenberg.org/files/21726/21726-h/21726-h.htm

    ( I should perhaps add I have a novel written in Cornwall, touching on tin mining in 1827, but about something else entirely. It's stuck in a drawer, unpublished, as I'm not a writer (tm).)
  • Options
    MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 37,667
    MikeK said:

    BA plane in trouble, returning to LHR. Reason Unknown:
    http://emergency.airlive.net/

    I've been on two planes that have had to turn around. It happens more often than people realise. The first time some computer stopped working and the second time they didn't say but I like to think the pilot forgot his passport.
  • Options
    MikeKMikeK Posts: 9,053
    Hoping that this is a spoof. See who retweeted it.

    Tommy Robinson retweeted
    Sky News Newsdesk ‏@SkyNews01 1h1 hour ago
    BREAKING: Former EDL Leader Tommy Robinson has been beheaded in a kebab shop in Luton. More soon.
  • Options
    Charles said:

    MikeK said:

    BA plane in trouble, returning to LHR. Reason Unknown:
    http://emergency.airlive.net/

    Not uncommon - we were on one that turned back & the air crew told us it happened about once a week
    Happened to my wife and I on a flight from London to Sydney one hour out of Bangkok when the 747 lost one of its starboard engines. spent over an hour jettisoning fuel and full emergency landing. The passengers became very quiet but lots of applause on safe landing The engine had to completely replaced
  • Options
    FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 76,309
    edited March 2015
    MikeK said:

    Hoping that this is a spoof. See who retweeted it.

    Tommy Robinson retweeted
    Sky News Newsdesk ‏@SkyNews01 1h1 hour ago
    BREAKING: Former EDL Leader Tommy Robinson has been beheaded in a kebab shop in Luton. More soon.

    From the twitter account with 300 people and previous tweet was...

    BREAKING: Former glamour model and actress Pamela Anderson has died at her family home in Chicago, her family have announced. More soon.

    BREAKING: Manchester United defender Jonny Evans, placed in quarantine after testing positive for the Ebola virus. Full report soon.

    Not Funny.
  • Options
    Tim_BTim_B Posts: 7,669
    edited March 2015

    Tim_B said:



    Wasn't there a steam engine called Mallard, a 4-6-2 designed by Sir Nigel Gresley and holding the world speed record for steam locomotives?

    I'm not aware of locomotives called coot, moorhen or mute swan however.....

    Correct about the Mallard. There's a sister-engine called Bittern, though.
    Wonderful steam engines that I used to see daily from our classrooms at Berwick Grammar School in the late 1950s



    You can still see Mallard at the Railway Museum in York.

    Yes I have seen her there. I remember the teachers allowing us all to go to the railings by the track to see the famous Mallard as she wasnt often seen though Bittern and other sister locomotives were. They were really impressive when pulling the Pullman as it didnt stop at Berwick and in full steam they were magnificient
    When I was a young lad living in Lancashire in the late 50s my dad and I would go to a place called Oakenclough on the west coast main line between London and Glasgow.

    The water troughs between the rails were nearby and we would watch the express train (Royal Scot?) go by in both directions within a few minutes of each other. Once we saw them cross just down the track from where we were.
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    rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 54,229
    Charles said:

    MikeK said:

    BA plane in trouble, returning to LHR. Reason Unknown:
    http://emergency.airlive.net/

    Not uncommon - we were on one that turned back & the air crew told us it happened about once a week
    I was once on a plane landing at some little airport in the middle of nowhere, we are on late final, just crossing the road around the airfield, perhaps 20 meters up. Suddenly, we are all thrown back into our seats as the pilot opened the throttle wide, and pulled back on the control column. A minute later there is an announcement "terribly sorry about that ladies and gentleman, but some idiot just rolled their plane into the middle of the runway."
  • Options

    Charles said:

    MikeK said:

    BA plane in trouble, returning to LHR. Reason Unknown:
    http://emergency.airlive.net/

    Not uncommon - we were on one that turned back & the air crew told us it happened about once a week
    Happened to my wife and I on a flight from London to Sydney one hour out of Bangkok when the 747 lost one of its starboard engines. spent over an hour jettisoning fuel and full emergency landing. The passengers became very quiet but lots of applause on safe landing The engine had to completely replaced
    Strangely it happened almost exactly were the Malaysian Airline M370 disaappered without trace
  • Options
    nigel4englandnigel4england Posts: 4,800
    edited March 2015

    Mr. K, alas, not yet stocked in brick-and-mortar stores [this may change when Sir Edric's Temple is re-released and Sir Edric's Treasure is released via a small press]. Temple can be ordered, as a physical book, from Amazon or Lulu [the latter, despite being a couple of quid cheaper, is better for me]:
    http://www.lulu.com/gb/en/shop/thaddeus-white/sir-edrics-temple/paperback/product-21306938.html

    On maps, I've almost finished a large(ish) scale map [too big for inclusion in a book but I'll put it up on my site at some point]. When I come to trying to sort out the two smaller ones I may include I'll try to remember to give you a bell.

    Nothing wrong with ebooks. Relatedly, I might note that Istweeling ("The Ice Twins") by the mysterious Cornish author "S K Tremayne", is the 3rd best selling ebook in Holland at the moment.

    http://www.ereaders.nl/ibooks_bestsellers

    As an actual "book" it is the eighth best selling book in Holland, at the moment.

    http://www.boekblad.nl/bestseller60-11-nieuwe-boeken-in-de-lijst.247753.lynkx

    Proost.

    Is the mysterious Mr Tremayne planning a sequel, would you know, or just basking in the success of the Ice Twins?

    One of the dangers of climate based titles is global warming, in which case presumably the book could be renamed The Thawed Twins :-)

    I can confidently report that S K Tremayne is right now writing a sequel to the International Bestseller, and Sunday Times bestseller


    Just to remind you that, as a Devonian, you should not be watching the superior Cornishmen on BBC 1 now. ;-)

    Dish o'tay, Capt'n Poldark?

    Got it on Sky Plus. Gonna watch in a minute, after my curry is done. Proper job.

    I was very fond of Angharad Rees Cazenove, who was the star of the original Poldark, so don't think I could enjoy a remake.

    Some of the stories about I could tell you, ...

    I too was totally in love with Demelza/Angharad Rees - that naughty smile, and those coils of coppery hair!

    https://robinellisdotnet.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/img_0924.jpg

    She was up there with Debbie Harry in my young adolescent daydreams.

    Sean, for me it was Angharad Rees Cazenove, Cheryl Ladd (Charlies Angels) and Pam Dawber (Mork and Mindy)

    Lesley Anne Down for me.

    I worked at the BBC rehearsal rooms for a couple of years and actually had breakfast on the same table as her, simply stunning
  • Options
    Tim_BTim_B Posts: 7,669

    Charles said:

    MikeK said:

    BA plane in trouble, returning to LHR. Reason Unknown:
    http://emergency.airlive.net/

    Not uncommon - we were on one that turned back & the air crew told us it happened about once a week
    Happened to my wife and I on a flight from London to Sydney one hour out of Bangkok when the 747 lost one of its starboard engines. spent over an hour jettisoning fuel and full emergency landing. The passengers became very quiet but lots of applause on safe landing The engine had to completely replaced
    Strangely it happened almost exactly were the Malaysian Airline M370 disaappered without trace
    which was a year ago yesterday
  • Options
    MikeKMikeK Posts: 9,053
  • Options
    tysontyson Posts: 6,052
    Re-engaging even further with UK politics.... I think that Cameron will be more than happy to lose the election. He's had his shot and his five years driving the car (he's aged twenty years too), and the prospect of a Euro referendum would be unthinkably excruciating to him.

    Osborne... I worry about. First (unlike Cameron) he looks much better now than the bloated Tory oaf he was five years back. He knows that if the Tories lose he's a busted flush and will try anything and everything for the Tories to remain in power, even if this means destroying the EU.

    So next week expect the most manipulative budget ever.... death duties above a million, a hike in the tax free allowance, a big step to a living wage, real increases in health spending, defence budget enshrined at 2%, house building aplenty...populism, populism, populism. And he will name Miliband as Saville's love child.
  • Options
    nigel4englandnigel4england Posts: 4,800
    tyson said:

    Re-engaging even further with UK politics.... I think that Cameron will be more than happy to lose the election. He's had his shot and his five years driving the car (he's aged twenty years too), and the prospect of a Euro referendum would be unthinkably excruciating to him.

    Osborne... I worry about. First (unlike Cameron) he looks much better now than the bloated Tory oaf he was five years back. He knows that if the Tories lose he's a busted flush and will try anything and everything for the Tories to remain in power, even if this means destroying the EU.

    So next week expect the most manipulative budget ever.... death duties above a million, a hike in the tax free allowance, a big step to a living wage, real increases in health spending, defence budget enshrined at 2%, house building aplenty...populism, populism, populism. And he will name Miliband as Saville's love child.

    If he destroys the EU he would get my vote.
  • Options
    notmenotme Posts: 3,293
    Alistair said:
    Peak Oil? Our grand children's children might have to worry about depletion, but we wont.
  • Options
    MikeKMikeK Posts: 9,053
    No truer words written:

    Grey Curmudgeon retweeted
    Dewi ‏@canofwormstwo Mar 5
    I'm not naive enough to think UKIP has all the answers.I just know after more than 100 years the #LIblabcons haven't .VOTE #UKIP
  • Options
    TGOHFTGOHF Posts: 21,633
    Debate this...

    @jameschappers: Quite the Tory billboard tomorrow. @AlexSalmond (literally) becoming a huge figure in UK general election #GE2015 http://t.co/UryRTJr6V6
  • Options
    MortimerMortimer Posts: 13,960
    TGOHF said:

    Debate this...

    @jameschappers: Quite the Tory billboard tomorrow. @AlexSalmond (literally) becoming a huge figure in UK general election #GE2015 http://t.co/UryRTJr6V6

    Great poster. Quite the look of Francis Underwood to Mr Salmond, dontcha' think?
  • Options
    TGOHFTGOHF Posts: 21,633
    Mortimer said:

    TGOHF said:

    Debate this...

    @jameschappers: Quite the Tory billboard tomorrow. @AlexSalmond (literally) becoming a huge figure in UK general election #GE2015 http://t.co/UryRTJr6V6

    Great poster. Quite the look of Francis Underwood to Mr Salmond, dontcha' think?
    ed looks like Frank Spencer,
  • Options
    MikeKMikeK Posts: 9,053
    Cammo's cuts cut into the bone:

    BBC News (UK) ‏@BBCNews 17m17 minutes ago
    Monday's Daily Telegraph: "Army faces cut to just 50,000 troops" (via @suttonnick) #TomorrowsPapersToday #BBCPapers
  • Options
    nigel4englandnigel4england Posts: 4,800
    SeanT said:

    SeanT said:


    I actually have quite a nice opening line:

    "The tunnels go under the sea."

    (It's set in the remarkable, coastal Cornish tin-mining country of West Penwith)

    It's just that the next 30,000 words entirely suck.

    I suppose you've read R.M. Ballantyne's "Deep down, a story of Cornish mines" ? The text is available for free on Gutenberg. It's not exactly the most modern prose, but it captures some of the feel of what tin mining was like, at least to me, with little of the romance that later and more able writers tried to put in it.

    http://www.gutenberg.org/files/21726/21726-h/21726-h.htm

    ( I should perhaps add I have a novel written in Cornwall, touching on tin mining in 1827, but about something else entirely. It's stuck in a drawer, unpublished, as I'm not a writer (tm).)
    I haven't read it, but thankyou, I shall read it now. I am devouring books on Cornish mining. It is an incredible story, probably the most poetic story of continuous mining on the planet.

    e.g. during my recent research trip (a week in an isolated cottage in Cape Cornwall) I visited Levant undersea mine, scene of numerous deaths and (essentially) child slavery:

    https://twitter.com/thomasknox/status/571353362882543616

    I also learned (today) from my mum, that her mother (i.e. my grandmother) was employed aged 10 to be a bal maiden: a young girl who stood at the top of the mine crushing rocks to extract the last of the ore. Because these kids were above ground, they were not subject to the laws preventing children being forced underground.

    My grandmother!
    I went down South Crofty in the eighties when it was still a working mine.

    They couldn't have paid me enough to ever work down there.
  • Options
    tysontyson Posts: 6,052


    If he destroys the EU he would get my vote.

    Hi Nige- sadly I think you are on the side of the many in England. History has consistently told us that nationalism from whichever angle is not a particularly helpful force, but sadly we never appear to learn
  • Options
    foxinsoxukfoxinsoxuk Posts: 23,548



    Thanks; that sounds similar to what I read (except they were embedded within an ally (soon to be an enemy) to examine an enemy. I got the impression the guy was just a skilled grunt rather than a well-placed officer. But again, that could be very faulty memory.

    It certainly makes it more possible that it was going on in WWII.

    There were almost certainly mechanics/technicians sent over with the fairly duff Valentines & Matildas we sent over for Lend Lease. How long they stayed on is anyone's guess.
    Bearing in mind the T34 was arguably the best tank of the war (perhaps the post 44 Panther was better) and straightforward to manufacture, any technicians would have been better coming back with a few to copy.

    With some decent command and control systems it would have been far better than the British tanks of the time.
  • Options
    FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 76,309
    Will Tony and Cherie get divorced? They lead separate lives amid claims that she still resents her treatment at No10 - and his closeness to Murdoch's ex-wife. Now friends are asking an explosive question

    New book serialised in Mail exposes how Blairs have amassed fortune
    Also shows how couple have grown apart since Wendi Deng revelations
    The pair have separate business empires and are rarely seen together
    But friends claim that Tony would be extremely reluctant to divorce

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2985566/Will-Tony-Cherie-divorced-lead-separate-lives-amid-claims-resents-treatment-No10-closeness-Murdoch-s-ex-wife-friends-asking-explosive-question.html

    Can't beat a bit of Mail tittle tattle...
  • Options
    JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 39,220
    edited March 2015
    SeanT said:

    SeanT said:


    I actually have quite a nice opening line:

    "The tunnels go under the sea."

    (It's set in the remarkable, coastal Cornish tin-mining country of West Penwith)

    It's just that the next 30,000 words entirely suck.

    I suppose you've read R.M. Ballantyne's "Deep down, a story of Cornish mines" ? The text is available for free on Gutenberg. It's not exactly the most modern prose, but it captures some of the feel of what tin mining was like, at least to me, with little of the romance that later and more able writers tried to put in it.

    http://www.gutenberg.org/files/21726/21726-h/21726-h.htm

    ( I should perhaps add I have a novel written in Cornwall, touching on tin mining in 1827, but about something else entirely. It's stuck in a drawer, unpublished, as I'm not a writer (tm).)
    I haven't read it, but thankyou, I shall read it now. I am devouring books on Cornish mining. It is an incredible story, probably the most poetic story of continuous mining on the planet.

    e.g. during my recent research trip (a week in an isolated cottage in Cape Cornwall) I visited Levant undersea mine, scene of numerous deaths and (essentially) child slavery:

    (snip)

    I also learned (today) from my mum, that her mother (i.e. my grandmother) was employed aged 10 to be a bal maiden: a young girl who stood at the top of the mine crushing rocks to extract the last of the ore. Because these kids were above ground, they were not subject to the laws preventing children being forced underground.

    My grandmother!
    I assume she wore the Bal-maiden's garb, especially the hat (whose name escapes me). Blooming weird looking things, yet with a purpose.

    There's something about Cornish tin mining which is unutterably romantic, and far more so than coal mining. In fact, the same can be said about Cornwall as a whole. I've never been able to put my finger on what it is, but it is there.

    Still, it's nowhere near as good as God's own county, Derbyshire. ;-)

    P.s.: I've just noticed Barton's "A history of tin mining and smelting in Cornwall." on my bookshelf. You've probably got it - it's a bit dry, but has a wealth of information on the various mining companies
  • Options
    nigel4englandnigel4england Posts: 4,800
    tyson said:



    If he destroys the EU he would get my vote.

    Hi Nige- sadly I think you are on the side of the many in England. History has consistently told us that nationalism from whichever angle is not a particularly helpful force, but sadly we never appear to learn


    Democracy trumps nationalism every time.
  • Options
    Richard_TyndallRichard_Tyndall Posts: 31,048
    edited March 2015
    tyson said:




    Hi Nige- sadly I think you are on the side of the many in England. History has consistently told us that nationalism from whichever angle is not a particularly helpful force, but sadly we never appear to learn

    No, history has shown us that pan-nationalism or supra-nationalism and the desire to subjugate or amalgamate other nations is not a particularly helpful force. I for one am very glad of the nationalism that helped small countries to stand against European tyrants.
  • Options
    MikeKMikeK Posts: 9,053
    edited March 2015



    Thanks; that sounds similar to what I read (except they were embedded within an ally (soon to be an enemy) to examine an enemy. I got the impression the guy was just a skilled grunt rather than a well-placed officer. But again, that could be very faulty memory.

    It certainly makes it more possible that it was going on in WWII.

    There were almost certainly mechanics/technicians sent over with the fairly duff Valentines & Matildas we sent over for Lend Lease. How long they stayed on is anyone's guess.
    Bearing in mind the T34 was arguably the best tank of the war (perhaps the post 44 Panther was better) and straightforward to manufacture, any technicians would have been better coming back with a few to copy.

    With some decent command and control systems it would have been far better than the British tanks of the time.
    British tanks were largely rubbish during WW2, excepting perhaps the BIT Maltilda mk 2 that had a decent bit of protective armour, though speed was a big drawback. All British main tank guns were pea-shooters. It was only after the war that Britain made a first class tank: the Centurian Mk1.

    American tanks were not much better throughout WW2. The Sherman was death trap.
  • Options
    DairDair Posts: 6,108

    tyson said:




    Hi Nige- sadly I think you are on the side of the many in England. History has consistently told us that nationalism from whichever angle is not a particularly helpful force, but sadly we never appear to learn

    No, history has shown us that pan-nationalism or supra-nationalism and the desire to subjugate or amalgamate other nations is not a particularly helpful force. I for one am very glad of the nationalism that helped small countries to stand against European tyrants.
    You don't get a single bit in the irony of your post, do you.
  • Options
    FrankBoothFrankBooth Posts: 9,070
    tyson said:

    Re-engaging even further with UK politics.... I think that Cameron will be more than happy to lose the election. He's had his shot and his five years driving the car (he's aged twenty years too), and the prospect of a Euro referendum would be unthinkably excruciating to him.

    Osborne... I worry about. First (unlike Cameron) he looks much better now than the bloated Tory oaf he was five years back. He knows that if the Tories lose he's a busted flush and will try anything and everything for the Tories to remain in power, even if this means destroying the EU.

    So next week expect the most manipulative budget ever.... death duties above a million, a hike in the tax free allowance, a big step to a living wage, real increases in health spending, defence budget enshrined at 2%, house building aplenty...populism, populism, populism. And he will name Miliband as Saville's love child.

    Good to see you back again. The problem he's got rather encapsulated in the title of his favourable biography 'The Austerity Chancellor' is that he's made his name and got respect(?) by being the person prepared to take the tough decisions Labour wouldn't. If it suddenly looks like he's doing a giveaway people could rightly be a bit suspicious. Perhaps they'd be a certain resonance in him now rewarding the voters after 5 years of austerity but the public finances are still weak and the plans from the Autumn statement mean eye watering cuts all over the place. I can't see how he does a big reversal on that although one or two eye catching goodies are inevitable.
  • Options
    PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 76,034
    TGOHF said:

    Debate this...

    @jameschappers: Quite the Tory billboard tomorrow. @AlexSalmond (literally) becoming a huge figure in UK general election #GE2015 http://t.co/UryRTJr6V6

    It's not bad actually, though I can see some very obvious UKIP viral spoofs of this.
  • Options
    perdixperdix Posts: 1,806
    MikeK said:

    No truer words written:

    Grey Curmudgeon retweeted
    Dewi ‏@canofwormstwo Mar 5
    I'm not naive enough to think UKIP has all the answers.I just know after more than 100 years the #LIblabcons haven't .VOTE #UKIP

    May I remind everyone - vote ukip, get Labour. You know it's true!

This discussion has been closed.