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Luckyguy1983 said:

rcs1000 said:

JEO said:

rcs1000 said:

SeanT said:

A distressing map. Cousin marriages around the world, by percentage.

http://www.reproductive-health-journal.com/content/6/1/17/figure/F1

I don't think anyone is surprised to see the hotspots in the Middle East or North Africa.

But Canada: 10-20% of marriages are to cousins.

What the Fuck?

Surely 50% of people breeding with their cousins would result in Hapsburgs levels of genetic degradation fairly quickly? Does this explain some of the issues around the old north west frontier?

That would be my interpretation too.

Of course, from a purely cynical point of view, I can't help notice that a great many of the countries with high levels of cousin marriage (not Canada) are ones which - to put it simply - don't like us very much. Maybe we should just let them get on which their cousin love.

It causes a lot of issues for the NHS too apparently, with diseases caused by cousin marriage within certain communities.

Luckyguy1983 said:

What did Jeremy Hunt say about China? Pretty crass and unnecessary tweet whatever the circs.

TheKrakenAwakes said:

Here's a funny thing..Corbyn appointed vegan Kerry McArthy as Environment secretary. Out of curiosity I checked out her MP expenses for the last year and found 48 individual claims of 60 pence for milk for her constituency office. I have no real issue with her being a vegan but you'd have thought on her salary she could at least buy her own milk...or may be it's against her vegan principles to do so and getting Joe Tax Payer to buy it assuages her conscience.

Danny565 said:

Luckyguy1983 said:

What did Jeremy Hunt say about China? Pretty crass and unnecessary tweet whatever the circs.

He said that British people didn't work hard enough, and should be more like the Chinese.

SeanT said:

ReggieCide said:

Cyclefree said:

rcs1000 said:

SeanT said:

A distressing map. Cousin marriages around the world, by percentage.

http://www.reproductive-health-journal.com/content/6/1/17/figure/F1

I don't think anyone is surprised to see the hotspots in the Middle East or North Africa.

But Canada: 10-20% of marriages are to cousins.

What the Fuck?

One cousin to cousin marriage in a generation now and again is probably fine. But I'd have thought there was a good case for banning cousin marriages where either the parents or grandparents on either side have also married cousins. I'm no geneticist but surely if you have generations of cousin marriages the chances of health issues must increase substantially?

There are good cultural reasons for clamping down on it as well. But the health ones seem unarguable to me.

What you say is true but this is very dangerous ground It's like eugenics in reverse but with the same ethical issues. What can you do about it? Darwin of course latterly struggled with this issue, being married to a very devout cousin.

It's not hard. You just ban cousin marriage, on the entirely truthful grounds that it is seriously dysgenic, and produces too many horribly damaged children. We already ban brother-sister marriages for this reason, or uncle-niece marriages.

Just hurry up and do it. The only thing that holds us back is, yet again, a ludicrous fear of offending Muslims.

ReggieCide said:

HYUFD said:

Cyclefree said:

rcs1000 said:

SeanT said:

A distressing map. Cousin marriages around the world, by percentage.

http://www.reproductive-health-journal.com/content/6/1/17/figure/F1

I don't think anyone is surprised to see the hotspots in the Middle East or North Africa.

But Canada: 10-20% of marriages are to cousins.

What the Fuck?

One cousin to cousin marriage in a generation now and again is probably fine. But I'd have thought there was a good case for banning cousin marriages where either the parents or grandparents on either side have also married cousins. I'm no geneticist but surely if you have generations of cousin marriages the chances of health issues must increase substantially?

There are good cultural reasons for clamping down on it as well. But the health ones seem unarguable to me.

I went to a wedding a year or two ago of a family friend to his French second cousin, they have just had a baby who seems to be doing well

This is hardly evidential.

Dair said:

Plato_Says said:

I don't differentiate between broadcasters, I just watch.

Proof was painful and a poor version of Forever which got cancelled at S1. That had much more potential and think it was a shame to bin.

I stopped Dark Matter at E4 - it was dire. I'm quite forgiving generally until midway = S2 of Murder in the First was disappointing after a cracking S1 which I stuck with to the end. Wayward Pines I gave in at about E5.

The first five episodes of Dark Matter have a number of criticisms which I understand because I shared many of them. However, almost all off these are not actually failures of writing they are plot points that lead to a significant pay off at the end of the series. As a whole the season works really well and sets up a pretty interesting place to go into season two.

Luckyguy1983 said:

rcs1000 said:

JEO said:

rcs1000 said:

SeanT said:

A distressing map. Cousin marriages around the world, by percentage.

http://www.reproductive-health-journal.com/content/6/1/17/figure/F1

I don't think anyone is surprised to see the hotspots in the Middle East or North Africa.

But Canada: 10-20% of marriages are to cousins.

What the Fuck?

Surely 50% of people breeding with their cousins would result in Hapsburgs levels of genetic degradation fairly quickly? Does this explain some of the issues around the old north west frontier?

That would be my interpretation too.

Of course, from a purely cynical point of view, I can't help notice that a great many of the countries with high levels of cousin marriage (not Canada) are ones which - to put it simply - don't like us very much. Maybe we should just let them get on which their cousin love.

It causes a lot of issues for the NHS too apparently, with diseases caused by cousin marriage within certain communities.

kle4 said:

Dair said:

Plato_Says said:

I don't differentiate between broadcasters, I just watch.

Proof was painful and a poor version of Forever which got cancelled at S1. That had much more potential and think it was a shame to bin.

I stopped Dark Matter at E4 - it was dire. I'm quite forgiving generally until midway = S2 of Murder in the First was disappointing after a cracking S1 which I stuck with to the end. Wayward Pines I gave in at about E5.

The first five episodes of Dark Matter have a number of criticisms which I understand because I shared many of them. However, almost all off these are not actually failures of writing they are plot points that lead to a significant pay off at the end of the series. As a whole the season works really well and sets up a pretty interesting place to go into season two.

I'm midway between your two positions - I think it has real potential, and after some slower stuff mid way through it picked up again, but it felt a bit too clunky and rushed for my tastes, missed out on some good set up. I think it could be good, but at the moment it's just average.

rcs1000 said:

Luckyguy1983 said:

rcs1000 said:

JEO said:

rcs1000 said:

SeanT said:

A distressing map. Cousin marriages around the world, by percentage.

http://www.reproductive-health-journal.com/content/6/1/17/figure/F1

I don't think anyone is surprised to see the hotspots in the Middle East or North Africa.

But Canada: 10-20% of marriages are to cousins.

What the Fuck?

Surely 50% of people breeding with their cousins would result in Hapsburgs levels of genetic degradation fairly quickly? Does this explain some of the issues around the old north west frontier?

That would be my interpretation too.

Of course, from a purely cynical point of view, I can't help notice that a great many of the countries with high levels of cousin marriage (not Canada) are ones which - to put it simply - don't like us very much. Maybe we should just let them get on which their cousin love.

It causes a lot of issues for the NHS too apparently, with diseases caused by cousin marriage within certain communities.

It's funny though: the Middle East and North Africa are largely Islamic, and have high levels of cousin marriage.

But Canada has only half the population (proportionately) of Muslims we do, and has 10x the level of cousin marriage. Portugal, with only 0.6% Muslims, also has 10-19% of marriages to cousins.

SeanT said:

Plato_Says said:

I used to like Castle but the nonsense of the marriage that didn't bored me along with the following ones trying to back out of that story line - I stopped watching about 5 shows after. Ditto Bones prepared for cancellation then didn't. I detest Seally = he's a moron.

It's just crap showrunning. I got bored with Grey's Anatomy and now wondering if it may be worth catching up with.

Dair said:

Plato_Says said:

I don't differentiate between broadcasters, I just watch.

Proof was painful and a poor version of Forever which got cancelled at S1. That had much more potential and think it was a shame to bin.

I stopped Dark Matter at E4 - it was dire. I'm quite forgiving generally until midway = S2 of Murder in the First was disappointing after a cracking S1 which I stuck with to the end. Wayward Pines I gave in at about E5.

The first five episodes of Dark Matter have a number of criticisms which I understand because I shared many of them. However, almost all off these are not actually failures of writing they are plot points that lead to a significant pay off at the end of the series. As a whole the season works really well and sets up a pretty interesting place to go into season two.

Agree with your completely about Forever. IIRC it stabilised about a 1.4 rating which when you look at what ABC have in the 10pm slot this year - Castle at 1.2 on Monday and Nashville at 1.1 on Wednesday and a pretty negative outlook on Wicked City which is taking over Forever's slot. If Wicked City opens in the low 1s and goes fractional then ABC will be looking pretty dumb. Wicked City could actually open fractional.

I suspect Forever would have been similar to Elementary and get a very healthy Syndication deal, which these days is pretty rare.

In some respect Grays Anatomy is the most impressive of ALL these US dramas - all of them - as the creators of Grays have consistently maintained emotional and narrative intrigue and potency through TEN seasons. TEN! And they make 20 odd shows in a season, I believe.

It's just astonishingly good, over time. Perhaps not genius every week, but always exceedindly watchable.

Nothing compares.

When you look at the terrible lameness of, say, a British equivalent like Casualty, oh my word. The acting, directing, writing, plotting and general talent in Grays is 50 times better. Indeed there is NO comparison. I squirm when I watch British crap like Casualty, before turning over.

Speedy said:

@HYUFD

I just noticed that CNBC has way higher polling criteria for their GOP debate 2 weeks from now.

http://www.cnbc.com/2015/09/30/cnbc-republican-debate-criteria.html

"recognized national polls conducted by: NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox, CNN and Bloomberg, released between September 17, 2015 and October 21, 2015.

To appear in the 8pm debate a candidate must have an average of 3% among these polls. The polls will be averaged and will be rounded up to 3% for any candidate with a standing of 2.5% or higher."

Paul, Christie and Huckabee might not make it.
If so then it will be a debate of "just" 7 candidates, way smaller than the bloated CNN one with 11.
The candidates will have more airtime and it will be easier for them since they won't have to wait long for their turn to speak.

Also if those 3 don't make it they might drop out, Paul and Huckabee dropping will favour Carson and Cruz, Christie dropping will favour one of the establishment ones. But they are polling very low, just 7-8% all 3 of them.

Goodnight.

HurstLlama said:

TheWhiteRabbit said:

HurstLlama said:

NickPalmer said:

Razedabode said:

The witcher 3 just ramps everything up- the stories, the graphics, the world. Honestly, hands down, the best game I've ever played. Part of me would say just forget the witcher 2 and jump right into 3, they are just not comparable in terms of quality.

I upgraded to a new PC a few months ago and now I'm not dashing up to Broxtowe every weekend I've been enjoying catching up with games. I'm through most of the satisfying Pillars of Eternity (Baldur's Gate tripled with knobs on), and was thinking of working my way through the Witcher series next. Would you recommend skipping installment 1 and maybe 2, then?

In general I like strategy and RPG games with lots of decisions and conversations, and dislike games dependent on fast fingers or tiresome "where is the crowbar hidden?" puzzles. I used to play a lot of Hearts of Iron so I like Paradox's style too. Another candidate is the new Civ expansion. Advice welcome!

Nick, Crusader Kings 2 an Europa Universalis IV should both be right up your street., especially the first though be prepared for a steep learning curve (not the game play but the decision effects) and to wave farewell to sleep.

Not sure the implication that Europa Universalis (hours played: thousands) does not have a steep learning curve can be quite right... Paradox's finest in my opinion although I know some big fans of Crusader Kings II.

Sorry, Mr. Rabbit, some loose wording perhaps on my part. I certainly meant no offence to the cracking game Europa Universalis, but it is perhaps a little more intuitive for an experienced gamer to play as compared to the much more original game play of Crusader Kings. Both of them have caused me more than a few nights lost sleep.

SeanT said:

ReggieCide said:

Cyclefree said:

rcs1000 said:

SeanT said:

A distressing map. Cousin marriages around the world, by percentage.

http://www.reproductive-health-journal.com/content/6/1/17/figure/F1

I don't think anyone is surprised to see the hotspots in the Middle East or North Africa.

But Canada: 10-20% of marriages are to cousins.

What the Fuck?

One cousin to cousin marriage in a generation now and again is probably fine. But I'd have thought there was a good case for banning cousin marriages where either the parents or grandparents on either side have also married cousins. I'm no geneticist but surely if you have generations of cousin marriages the chances of health issues must increase substantially?

There are good cultural reasons for clamping down on it as well. But the health ones seem unarguable to me.

What you say is true but this is very dangerous ground It's like eugenics in reverse but with the same ethical issues. What can you do about it? Darwin of course latterly struggled with this issue, being married to a very devout cousin.

It's not hard. You just ban cousin marriage, on the entirely truthful grounds that it is seriously dysgenic, and produces too many horribly damaged children. We already ban brother-sister marriages for this reason, or uncle-niece marriages.

Just hurry up and do it. The only thing that holds us back is, yet again, a ludicrous fear of offending Muslims.

SeanT said:

Plato_Says said:

I used to like Castle but the nonsense of the marriage that didn't bored me along with the following ones trying to back out of that story line - I stopped watching about 5 shows after. Ditto Bones prepared for cancellation then didn't. I detest Seally = he's a moron.

It's just crap showrunning. I got bored with Grey's Anatomy and now wondering if it may be worth catching up with.

Dair said:

Plato_Says said:

I don't differentiate between broadcasters, I just watch.

Proof was painful and a poor version of Forever which got cancelled at S1. That had much more potential and think it was a shame to bin.

I stopped Dark Matter at E4 - it was dire. I'm quite forgiving generally until midway = S2 of Murder in the First was disappointing after a cracking S1 which I stuck with to the end. Wayward Pines I gave in at about E5.

The first five episodes of Dark Matter have a number of criticisms which I understand because I shared many of them. However, almost all off these are not actually failures of writing they are plot points that lead to a significant pay off at the end of the series. As a whole the season works really well and sets up a pretty interesting place to go into season two.

Agree with your completely about Forever. IIRC it stabilised about a 1.4 rating which when you look at what ABC have in the 10pm slot this year - Castle at 1.2 on Monday and Nashville at 1.1 on Wednesday and a pretty negative outlook on Wicked City which is taking over Forever's slot. If Wicked City opens in the low 1s and goes fractional then ABC will be looking pretty dumb. Wicked City could actually open fractional.

I suspect Forever would have been similar to Elementary and get a very healthy Syndication deal, which these days is pretty rare.

In some respect Grays Anatomy is the most impressive of ALL these US dramas - all of them - as the creators of Grays have consistently maintained emotional and narrative intrigue and potency through TEN seasons. TEN! And they make 20 odd shows in a season, I believe.

It's just astonishingly good, over time. Perhaps not genius every week, but always exceedindly watchable.

Nothing compares.

When you look at the terrible lameness of, say, a British equivalent like Casualty, oh my word. The acting, directing, writing, plotting and general talent in Grays is 50 times better. Indeed there is NO comparison. I squirm when I watch British crap like Casualty, before turning over.

SeanT said:

Plato_Says said:

I used to like Castle but the nonsense of the marriage that didn't bored me along with the following ones trying to back out of that story line - I stopped watching about 5 shows after. Ditto Bones prepared for cancellation then didn't. I detest Seally = he's a moron.

It's just crap showrunning. I got bored with Grey's Anatomy and now wondering if it may be worth catching up with.

Dair said:

Plato_Says said:

I don't differentiate between broadcasters, I just watch.

Proof was painful and a poor version of Forever which got cancelled at S1. That had much more potential and think it was a shame to bin.

I stopped Dark Matter at E4 - it was dire. I'm quite forgiving generally until midway = S2 of Murder in the First was disappointing after a cracking S1 which I stuck with to the end. Wayward Pines I gave in at about E5.

The first five episodes of Dark Matter have a number of criticisms which I understand because I shared many of them. However, almost all off these are not actually failures of writing they are plot points that lead to a significant pay off at the end of the series. As a whole the season works really well and sets up a pretty interesting place to go into season two.

Agree with your completely about Forever. IIRC it stabilised about a 1.4 rating which when you look at what ABC have in the 10pm slot this year - Castle at 1.2 on Monday and Nashville at 1.1 on Wednesday and a pretty negative outlook on Wicked City which is taking over Forever's slot. If Wicked City opens in the low 1s and goes fractional then ABC will be looking pretty dumb. Wicked City could actually open fractional.

I suspect Forever would have been similar to Elementary and get a very healthy Syndication deal, which these days is pretty rare.

In some respect Grays Anatomy is the most impressive of ALL these US dramas - all of them - as the creators of Grays have consistently maintained emotional and narrative intrigue and potency through TEN seasons. TEN! And they make 20 odd shows in a season, I believe.

It's just astonishingly good, over time. Perhaps not genius every week, but always exceedindly watchable.

Nothing compares.

When you look at the terrible lameness of, say, a British equivalent like Casualty, oh my word. The acting, directing, writing, plotting and general talent in Grays is 50 times better. Indeed there is NO comparison. I squirm when I watch British crap like Casualty, before turning over.

MarkHopkins said:

notme said:

Scrapheap_as_was said:

Tim Farron ✔ @timfarron
Terrible tweet from @HelenGoodmanMP. Never attack politicians families. I hope she apologises.Clearly she missed the 'Kinder Politics' memo

Mark Ferguson @Markfergusonuk
Holy shit https://twitter.com/HelenGoodmanMP/status/653303286062284800 …

Labour have now reached Peak Fuckwittery.

Oh no, I think they have capacity to surpass themselves based on evidence so far.

AndyJS said:

SeanT said:

Plato_Says said:

I used to like Castle but the nonsense of the marriage that didn't bored me along with the following ones trying to back out of that story line - I stopped watching about 5 shows after. Ditto Bones prepared for cancellation then didn't. I detest Seally = he's a moron.

It's just crap showrunning. I got bored with Grey's Anatomy and now wondering if it may be worth catching up with.

Dair said:

Plato_Says said:

I don't differentiate between broadcasters, I just watch.

Proof was painful and a poor version of Forever which got cancelled at S1. That had much more potential and think it was a shame to bin.

I stopped Dark Matter at E4 - it was dire. I'm quite forgiving generally until midway = S2 of Murder in the First was disappointing after a cracking S1 which I stuck with to the end. Wayward Pines I gave in at about E5.

The first five episodes of Dark Matter have a number of criticisms which I understand because I shared many of them. However, almost all off these are not actually failures of writing they are plot points that lead to a significant pay off at the end of the series. As a whole the season works really well and sets up a pretty interesting place to go into season two.

Agree with your completely about Forever. IIRC it stabilised about a 1.4 rating which when you look at what ABC have in the 10pm slot this year - Castle at 1.2 on Monday and Nashville at 1.1 on Wednesday and a pretty negative outlook on Wicked City which is taking over Forever's slot. If Wicked City opens in the low 1s and goes fractional then ABC will be looking pretty dumb. Wicked City could actually open fractional.

I suspect Forever would have been similar to Elementary and get a very healthy Syndication deal, which these days is pretty rare.

In some respect Grays Anatomy is the most impressive of ALL these US dramas - all of them - as the creators of Grays have consistently maintained emotional and narrative intrigue and potency through TEN seasons. TEN! And they make 20 odd shows in a season, I believe.

It's just astonishingly good, over time. Perhaps not genius every week, but always exceedindly watchable.

Nothing compares.

When you look at the terrible lameness of, say, a British equivalent like Casualty, oh my word. The acting, directing, writing, plotting and general talent in Grays is 50 times better. Indeed there is NO comparison. I squirm when I watch British crap like Casualty, before turning over.

15 years ago it was generally agreed that British TV was far superior to American shows. Goes to show how things can suddenly change.

TheWhiteRabbit said:

Dair said:

TheWhiteRabbit said:

SeanT said:

ReggieCide said:

Cyclefree said:

rcs1000 said:

SeanT said:

A distressing map. Cousin marriages around the world, by percentage.

http://www.reproductive-health-journal.com/content/6/1/17/figure/F1

I don't think anyone is surprised to see the hotspots in the Middle East or North Africa.

But Canada: 10-20% of marriages are to cousins.

What the Fuck?

One cousin to cousin marriage in a generation now and again is probably fine. But I'd have thought there was a good case for banning cousin marriages where either the parents or grandparents on either side have also married cousins. I'm no geneticist but surely if you have generations of cousin marriages the chances of health issues must increase substantially?

There are good cultural reasons for clamping down on it as well. But the health ones seem unarguable to me.

What you say is true but this is very dangerous ground It's like eugenics in reverse but with the same ethical issues. What can you do about it? Darwin of course latterly struggled with this issue, being married to a very devout cousin.

It's not hard. You just ban cousin marriage, on the entirely truthful grounds that it is seriously dysgenic, and produces too many horribly damaged children. We already ban brother-sister marriages for this reason, or uncle-niece marriages.

Just hurry up and do it. The only thing that holds us back is, yet again, a ludicrous fear of offending Muslims.

Surely banning 1st cousin marriages is not difficult... I

Why should the UK have to change its laws because of a cultural problem associated with an immigrant population. The solution should be to integrate the population (instead of ghettoising through multiculturalism) and ensuring that children in these populations get the same opportunities as others.

I don't see what's wrong with using the law to prevent something socially suboptimal. As Luckyguy alludes to difficult to see how we could effect the required cultural change without causing a stir...

kle4 said:

I wonder if there is anywhere else holding simultaneous discussions on videogames, usa vs uk tv, cousin marriage, political tweet scandals, the american presidentials and so on. This is what happens without a daily poll to provide structure!

kle4 said:

I wonder if there is anywhere else holding simultaneous discussions on videogames, usa vs uk tv, cousin marriage, political tweet scandals, the american presidentials and so on. This is what happens without a daily poll to provide structure!

SeanT said:

IIRC Helen Goodman has a history of tweeting some fairly stupid or nasty things. But I'm too drunk and lazy to google.

MarkHopkins said:

AndyJS said:

15 years ago it was generally agreed that British TV was far superior to American shows. Goes to show how things can suddenly change.

"15 years" "suddenly"

That's almost a generation.

chestnut said:

Dair said:

TheKrakenAwakes said:

Here's a funny thing..Corbyn appointed vegan Kerry McArthy as Environment secretary. Out of curiosity I checked out her MP expenses for the last year and found 48 individual claims of 60 pence for milk for her constituency office. I have no real issue with her being a vegan but you'd have thought on her salary she could at least buy her own milk...or may be it's against her vegan principles to do so and getting Joe Tax Payer to buy it assuages her conscience.

It's not her milk, it's milk for the constituency office and is an expected expense approved by parliament.

Yep, that's what ordinary folks do for their tea at work. They stick it on someone else's expense bill. Or maybe not.

It seems like a miserly, parasite's justification.

AndyJS said:

15 years ago it was generally agreed that British TV was far superior to American. Goes to show how things can suddenly change.

flightpath01 said:

chestnut said:

Dair said:

TheKrakenAwakes said:

Here's a funny thing..Corbyn appointed vegan Kerry McArthy as Environment secretary. Out of curiosity I checked out her MP expenses for the last year and found 48 individual claims of 60 pence for milk for her constituency office. I have no real issue with her being a vegan but you'd have thought on her salary she could at least buy her own milk...or may be it's against her vegan principles to do so and getting Joe Tax Payer to buy it assuages her conscience.

It's not her milk, it's milk for the constituency office and is an expected expense approved by parliament.

Yep, that's what ordinary folks do for their tea at work. They stick it on someone else's expense bill. Or maybe not.

It seems like a miserly, parasite's justification.

I sympathise. However, typically an MP will have 2 offices. 1 could be in ooooh, Hull and the other will be in Westminster. And you may live in say Preston. This is why MPs have expenses.

kle4 said:

I wonder if there is anywhere else holding simultaneous discussions on videogames, usa vs uk tv, cousin marriage, political tweet scandals, the american presidentials and so on. This is what happens without a daily poll to provide structure!

kle4 said:

Dair said:

kle4 said:

Dair said:

Plato_Says said:

I don't differentiate between broadcasters, I just watch.

Proof was painful and a poor version of Forever which got cancelled at S1. That had much more potential and think it was a shame to bin.

I stopped Dark Matter at E4 - it was dire. I'm quite forgiving generally until midway = S2 of Murder in the First was disappointing after a cracking S1 which I stuck with to the end. Wayward Pines I gave in at about E5.

The first five episodes of Dark Matter have a number of criticisms which I understand because I shared many of them. However, almost all off these are not actually failures of writing they are plot points that lead to a significant pay off at the end of the series. As a whole the season works really well and sets up a pretty interesting place to go into season two.

I'm midway between your two positions - I think it has real potential, and after some slower stuff mid way through it picked up again, but it felt a bit too clunky and rushed for my tastes, missed out on some good set up. I think it could be good, but at the moment it's just average. I feel like the universe needs a bit more fleshing out, at the moment it was a bit lifeless - I contrast it with Farscape in that sense.

If they tied this series in to Killjoys (which would be very easy to do) that would help this a lot.

Not seen that - any good?

MTimT said:

HYUFD said:

tlg86 said:

HYUFD said:

tlg86 said:

isam said:

On the topic of "too posh".. I had dinner w my parents today, and my Dad is firmly of the belief that we proles need to be represented by someone with a top education rather than a comprehensive kid/bus drivers son... I tend to agree actually, maybe it is lack of confidence on our part?

As I say, public schoolboys are known round here as "Confident wallys"... but I think that's not a bad thing for a PM

I certainly agree that we want our leaders to have confidence, and if the privately educated are more likely to have that confidence then it has to be accepted that they are more likely to make it to the top.

But! We should ask, why are those from more humble backgrounds less likely to have the confidence to put themselves forward even if they are more talented? And, what can be done about it?

Generally that is true, though not always the case. For example, I would say the grammar school educated Margaret Thatcher was much more confident as a PM than the Eton educated Anthony Eden. Harold Wilson and Ted Heath and Jim Callaghan certainly did not lack confidence despite their relatively humble origins. Major and Brown did, but that was also partly following Thatcher and Blair

I think what I'm talking about is the confidence to try something like politics. I don't know how true to life The Long Walk to Finchley was but Thatcher must have had serious confidence and determination to make it.

On a side note, is it me or do kids that grow up abroad with parents stationed overseas have a greater propensity to make it big? I see Stuart Rose has an interesting background which included going to a school in Dar es Salaam.

They are rarer but as Thatcher showed not an impossibility. Living abroad when younger probably makes you more open and self-reliant

Don't know if we make it big, but throughout my life I have found myself naturally making better friends with those who lived large parts of their childhood outside their country of birth/citizenship. This happens even when you are unaware of their childhood until after the friendship is formed. It includes my wife and all of my serious girlfriends.

isam said:

TheWhiteRabbit said:

flightpath01 said:

chestnut said:

Dair said:

TheKrakenAwakes said:

Here's a funny thing..Corbyn appointed vegan Kerry McArthy as Environment secretary. Out of curiosity I checked out her MP expenses for the last year and found 48 individual claims of 60 pence for milk for her constituency office. I have no real issue with her being a vegan but you'd have thought on her salary she could at least buy her own milk...or may be it's against her vegan principles to do so and getting Joe Tax Payer to buy it assuages her conscience.

It's not her milk, it's milk for the constituency office and is an expected expense approved by parliament.

Yep, that's what ordinary folks do for their tea at work. They stick it on someone else's expense bill. Or maybe not.

It seems like a miserly, parasite's justification.

I sympathise. However, typically an MP will have 2 offices. 1 could be in ooooh, Hull and the other will be in Westminster. And you may live in say Preston. This is why MPs have expenses.

My work pays for the milk...

A friend worked at a high street bank, they demanded all employees bring their own milk and teabags. Almost a riot.

Point being that if this MP brought her own milk, she wouldn't bring any as she doesn't drink it

Luckyguy1983 said:

MikeK said:

Nothing to touch "Game of Thrones", nowadays. "Dr. Who", gets more bizzare as it goes along.

I'd strongly disagree with that. Like 'True Blood', I think GOT started well, with a genuinely interesting scenario and characters, and within a few series you're having your brain rotted by stylishly shot softcore pornography and hard violence, with very little holding it together, and you don't even know how you got there.

Moses_ said:

Danny565 said:

Luckyguy1983 said:

What did Jeremy Hunt say about China? Pretty crass and unnecessary tweet whatever the circs.

He said that British people didn't work hard enough, and should be more like the Chinese.

Only in your own mind.

Danny565 said:

Luckyguy1983 said:

What did Jeremy Hunt say about China? Pretty crass and unnecessary tweet whatever the circs.

He said that British people didn't work hard enough, and should be more like the Chinese.

notme said:

Dair said:

kle4 said:

Dair said:

kle4 said:

Dair said:

Plato_Says said:

I don't differentiate between broadcasters, I just watch.

Proof was painful and a poor version of Forever which got cancelled at S1. That had much more potential and think it was a shame to bin.

I stopped Dark Matter at E4 - it was dire. I'm quite forgiving generally until midway = S2 of Murder in the First was disappointing after a cracking S1 which I stuck with to the end. Wayward Pines I gave in at about E5.

The first five episodes of Dark Matter have a number of criticisms which I understand because I shared many of them. However, almost all off these are not actually failures of writing they are plot points that lead to a significant pay off at the end of the series. As a whole the season works really well and sets up a pretty interesting place to go into season two.

I'm midway between your two positions - I think it has real potential, and after some slower stuff mid way through it picked up again, but it felt a bit too clunky and rushed for my tastes, missed out on some good set up. I think it could be good, but at the moment it's just average. I feel like the universe needs a bit more fleshing out, at the moment it was a bit lifeless - I contrast it with Farscape in that sense.

If they tied this series in to Killjoys (which would be very easy to do) that would help this a lot.

Not seen that - any good?

Great characters, well acted, compelling story, well written.

But boy, it is done on the tiniest of tiny budgets. The Space scenes look like someone rediscovered the Atari ST that Straczynski used to make Babylon 5 (yes he really did) and the absolutely tiny space you feel like you are seeing in any planetary sets (because you are) require you to be quite flexible.

If you can get past the cheap SFX and Sets you could really enjoy it.

I thought they were done on amiga video toasters!!

RodCrosby said:

O/T. Anyone know a ballpark figure to rewire a small 1-bed flat?

kle4 said:

Some classic reporting:

Iraq's air force has hit a convoy of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, a [Iraqi] military statement says...

The BBC's Jim Muir says military statements from the Iraqi authorities on the results of actions against jihadi or insurgent leaders have been unreliable in the past, and are treated with some caution.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-34500402

foxinsoxuk said:

Luckyguy1983 said:

HHemmelig said:

Luckyguy1983 said:

Controlled explosion demolition fails to bring down Glasgow tower blocks - the tallest steel framed buildings in the UK according to the report - though I'd have said surely London has bigger?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRzk1b5pbC8

I think you're right that there must be bigger than these. It's my understanding that steel frames must be used for all tower blocks over about 30 stories high. Reinforced concrete is cheaper but can't be used for the highest blocks.
(I write as someone who has worked 17 years in the steel industry though I'm not an expert in this aspect)

Why do you think the demolition failed to bring down the buildings?

Because the CIA and illuminati are the experts in demolishing skyscrapers and were otherwise engaged?

SeanT said:

flightpath01 said:

SeanT said:

glw said:

MarkHopkins said:

"15 years" "suddenly"

That's almost a generation.

It started a bit before then anyway, with shows like Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, and St. Elsewhere, but those were relatively rare series. Now there's almost too much good television to keep up with; the proliferation of channels, the syndication of shows, box sets, and now streaming has created a huge demand for great drama in large volumes, which surprisingly the US television industry has managed to supply.

The best television drama is now as good as anything you will see in a cinema.

No, US TV is now much much better than US cinema, which is hamstrung by 1, having to cater for a mainly teen audience at home and 2. having to cater for the Chinese and others abroad (increasingly important to land the really big bucks) - it means ideas, scripts and plots get increasingly generic and simplistic and all nuance is lost.

US TV doesn't need kids - its aimed at adults at home, and it doesn't need foreign types - the domestic market is vast enough to fund the smaller budgets of US TV shows. So the TV is superior and smarter.

The exception is animated movies, which just get better and better, but this is because they are aimed at adults - the parents! - and foreigners can use whatever script they like, as it is all rewritten and dubbed.

I would have thought programmes like 'how I met your mother at the Goldberg's in a big bang' ought to dispel the not made for teen ( or infantile) theory of US TV shows

Duh. Of course some US TV - lots of it, in fact - is utter crap. Aimed at kids or morons, i.e. most of the people. But there are up to 40m very smart American adults who want really good TV drama. Hence Breaking Bad. (Check the audience stats for Breaking Bad - they are tiny by US standards, but still enough to make it viable)

There just aren't enough clever Brits to make a show like that profitable, unless - ironically - they can then sell it to America.

US sitcoms are, also, superior. Not sure we have anything to match Community or Parks and Recs, say. However our recent sketch shows at their best (Big Train, Mitchell and Webb) have reached heights Americans never match (yet). I have no idea why.

Luckyguy1983 said:

foxinsoxuk said:

Luckyguy1983 said:

HHemmelig said:

Luckyguy1983 said:

Controlled explosion demolition fails to bring down Glasgow tower blocks - the tallest steel framed buildings in the UK according to the report - though I'd have said surely London has bigger?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRzk1b5pbC8

I think you're right that there must be bigger than these. It's my understanding that steel frames must be used for all tower blocks over about 30 stories high. Reinforced concrete is cheaper but can't be used for the highest blocks.
(I write as someone who has worked 17 years in the steel industry though I'm not an expert in this aspect)

Why do you think the demolition failed to bring down the buildings?

Because the CIA and illuminati are the experts in demolishing skyscrapers and were otherwise engaged?

Yes, where's a jumbo jet when you need it? Nothing like one of those banging into the side of a steel framed structure to make it vanish into its own footprint.

glw said:

Dair said:

If I remember correctly (and this is over 20 years ago now) it was done on an Atari ST but this may have been reported as an Amiga in the US press given that the Amiga was far more popular. Of course this could work the other way round - he used an Amiga and it was reported as an ST in the UK but I'm not sure this is as likely as Amiga wasn't as niche in the UK as the ST was in the US.

Nah it was LightWave from NewTek on the Amiga for effects, which was never available on the Atari ST, and Video Toaster might have been used for some compositing and editing.