August 24, 2008 – 8:26 am
More news funnies, courtesy our friends at Channel 4. And two Chinese grandmothers with a terrific attitude.
Every now and again, the British news media indulge the national talent for ironic pisstake, and I’m pleased to report that China’s touchiness in the face of global criticism in the lead-up to the Olympics is now becoming a favoured target. What makes this report (from Channel 4 News) so good is the way it [...]
As I mentioned over at Catallaxy, I’m one of those erstwhile lefties who decided that I didn’t want to visit the USA as a callow youth, and then – despite my politics shifting as time passed – I never got around to it. Last week’s conference was my first visit, and wasn’t the best introduction, [...]
January 10, 2008 – 10:05 am
Finally figured out how to take fireworks pics in Edinburgh, and as promised, here they are. I’ve also included some blizzard photographs as well, although I haven’t worked out how to do snowflakes properly – they come out looking like sleet, despite the white stuff all over the ground. Maybe Heath G can advise. I’ll [...]
December 25, 2007 – 2:22 am
…Please put a penny in the Old Man’s hat. One thing that’s taken some getting used to around these parts is the short Christmas/New Year break, even for students. I wound up on December 15 and will be back in harness by January 6 – and Oxford is notorious for its short, intense terms. Edinburgh [...]
September 12, 2007 – 12:02 am
Catallaxy regular Fatfingers showed just how dexterous he can be at the APEC protests last week. If you follow the links below, you’ll be able to take a gander at the photographs he took, with some pretty decent video footage to follow. He’s in the process of editing the latter, so if anyone wants copies, [...]
August 26, 2007 – 1:03 am
A tall, broad-shouldered man strides onto the stage. He physically dominates the chamber orchestra behind him, partly through size, and partly through charisma. Some way over six feet, with dark hair and glasses, he clears his throat – a deep, baritone growl – and then begins to sing. Like a girl. The experts say that [...]
August 18, 2007 – 12:33 am
When Australian Jonathan Mills was appointed Director of the Edinburgh International Festival, arguably the world’s most high-powered arts job, not a few locals were shocked and a wee bit pissed off. Watching his excruciating ‘interview’ (billed as ‘conversations with artists’, supposedly designed to illuminate The Bacchae, or rather, the National Theatre of Scotland‘s innovative production) [...]
August 12, 2007 – 11:01 pm
It’s fair to say that musically, I’m a philistine. Well known around these parts for a devotion to heavy metal and the bearer of more than one old injury from pogoing around sundry mosh pits, I’m sure that my occasional YouTube ventures contrast in an earsplitting way with Jason’s far more cultured selections. Nowhere is [...]
Relatively recently, Legal Eagle wrote an excellent piece on the horrors of management ordained ‘work retreats’ and ‘team-building’ activities. Like most lawyers, I’ve encountered a few of the things too – and the apparent enthusiasm with which work colleagues treated them always worried me. Dubious ‘trust exercises’ and loopy attempts at group psychological therapy… not [...]
