Saturday 30 December 2017

Darkest Dungeon: Crimson Court

So following one false start in which I realised how hard the expansion content was going to be (Vampire crocodile, really?), I'm making good progress on this excellent add on.

Of course, as with most permi-death campaign games this means I can no longer play it when drunk or reasonably hungover. I envisage this seriously cutting into gaming time in the near future.

Happy 2018 by the way, if I don't get maudlin enough to blog tomorrow evening!

Wednesday 6 December 2017

Trump fumbles in Middle East

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/06/trump-to-plunge-middle-east-into-fire-with-no-end-with-jerusalem-speech

I'm starting to think that Trump must be competing with somebody for the title of worst American president/ international leader in living memory.

I mean surely nobody could be so stupid as to think that this will have any positive effects beyond massaging the egos of hardliners in Israel and maybe giving him a slight electoral boost.

Meanwhile he reignites an issue that has eluded settlement for decades and regularly leads to costly and deadly wars in a sensitive area of the globe.

Total and complete imbecile.

Wednesday 29 November 2017

Cause and Effect

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/nov/29/tory-brexiters-to-protest-to-no-10-about-deal-on-60bn-divorce-bill

You mean our political posturing is going to have expensive consequences -  how were we meant to see this coming?

Heavy sarcasm mode over.

Wednesday 25 October 2017

Saudi Arms Sales

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/25/michael-fallon-urges-mps-prioritise-arms-sales-human-rights

Good point, Fallon! It does make people less likely to buy your missiles if you condemn them for human rights abuses, unprovoked aggression and not letting women live independent lives.

Of course the fact that you see this as a problem only highlights your own moral bankruptcy (and that of most modern British governments) but that is by the by.

Saturday 14 October 2017

Hammond's Farcical Fall from Grace

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/oct/13/brexit-war-of-words-heats-up-as-enemy-eu-tells-britain-to-pay-up

What a ridiculously destructive piece of political theatre. The Economist (not known for its affection for the Tories current attempts at national economic suicide) has consistently portrayed Hammond as one of the sane members of the government. Surely the politician in charge of the economy must appreciate the economic risks of Brexit for Britain, as the argument goes.

So if this is the best that the moderates of May's cabinet can do we are all in a lot of trouble. An agreement is essential if we are to leave our most important trading group and cheap point scoring is ultimately going to do a lot more harm than good. If Hammond can't stand up to the rabid Brexiteers (or swivel eyed loons as they were known in more sober times) that he shares Parliament with then he shouldn't be in his current job let alone engaged in high-stakes negotiations with Europe.

Thursday 12 October 2017

Royal Mail's Strike-Breaking Day in Court

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/oct/12/royal-mail-halts-48-hour-walkout-after-obtaining-high-court-injunction

A proud day for Britain. Now, our Tory government is not only hawking off the few remaining public service providers for small change but stopping workers from expressing legitimate grievances against their new corporate bosses.

Lets hope CWU can tangle their way through whatever labyrinthine mediation process RM are insisting upon and achieve what their members have overwhelmingly voted for.

Wednesday 4 October 2017

Saying it how it is ...

At last something said by the current US administration that I agree with!

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/oct/04/rex-tillerson-trump-moron

Saturday 16 September 2017

Clowns vs Trump Supporters

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/sep/16/insane-clown-posse-trump-juggalo-march-on-washington

I'm not even going to touch this - too easy!

Thursday 17 August 2017

Trump shows his true colours

Swell job defending  the killers and bigots in Charlottesville, Mr President, way to alienate a solid proportion of the population that you purportedly govern.

If you could just alt-right out of office we'd all feel a lot more comfortable.

Sunday 25 June 2017

Doctor Who vs the Star Eaters

So, it's been nearly six months since I last posted but I felt I should return for a bad pun. In the second to latest Doctor Who episode, The Eaters of Light, we get the following dialogue:

Doctor Who: You'll be safe. Tomorrow you'll be farming. Hey you can name a cow after me.

So that would be Doctor Moo then. Badum-bum-tish.

Saturday 28 January 2017

So long Sherlock

So, the BBC's monumental Sherlock series has been wound up after its fourth season (expect spoilers below). There are some indications that they might continue the plot at some point but many are speculating that this might be the final outing for our favourite detective and doctor duo.

I'm sad to see it go. The quality was a bit uneven and you could generally expect a dud episode in every series ('The Lying Detective' was the duffer this season by my reckoning). Nevertheless, when it was good it was really good and the writing and characterisation remained excellent throughout.

While there was plenty going on, the main revelation this series was the existence of Sherlock and Mycroft's sister Eurus. This reveal could have been trite and tacky. The existence of an unknown, evil sibling is such a staple of gothic Victorian tales that it tends to only be used as parody or pastiche nowadays. However, there was little to fear on this occasion as Sian Brooke did a fantastic job of bringing the creepy yet intelligent Eurus to life. The standout moment of the series for me was when she reached through the 'glass' in her prison to take Sherlock's hand.

It was a shame that they went the 'Saw' route for the final episode. While it suits the sensationalist style of the show the whole malevolent control thing is overdone and rarely achieves anything more than allowing the writers to put their characters through a more unpleasant repertoire of challenges.

Still congratulations to the writers and the BBC for sticking with such a vibrant and witty project. Mark Gatiss ridiculing the Guardian in verse for accusing him of turning Sherlock into Bond stands as a fitting memorial to the clear enjoyment and passion of all involved.*

* Further respect for the man if he decided to put the 'action hero-esque' grenade scene in 'The Final Problem' after receiving this criticism.