I So Love Being Patronised
So I sent an email to someone today who's doing some work on behalf of a client. We'd spoken on the phone and he'd asked me to mail him so he had my contact details. I did so, and asked him in the process what he wanted doing with a domain name we're transferring to his company. My standard mail sig notes my position as Head of New Media - I'd make the assumption that someone in that position might have at least a small idea what they were talking about, leaving myself to be proven wrong later.
But the response I got had to be seen to be believed - "if you don't know how to do this, call me and I'll talk you through it".
Patronising fuckwit.
The Israeli Situation
"That makes Israel the world's fifth largest nuclear power, boasting more bangs from Washington's bucks than Blair's Britain. And over in the other WMD basket, nobody much dissents when a report by the office of technology assessment for the US Congress concludes that Israel has "undeclared offensive chemical warfare capabilities" and is "generally reported as having an undeclared offensive biological warfare programme". Bombs, missiles, delivery systems, gases, germs? Tel Aviv has the lot. We only forget to remember because it's not a suitable subject for polite diplomatic conversation."
Peter Preston, in his Guardian column today If Libya can do it, why not Israel? makes a strong case (though in truth, as cases go, it doesn't need much help) that the already-over-developed, and fundamentally unusable Israeli stockpile of nuclear and biological weaponry is increasingly, glaringly, an unnecessary threat in a region where there are fewer and fewer threats which require such a deterrent.
The Joy Of Blogs
Well, one of the joys anyway:
When you write about a subject; a book, a film, an event, whatever. Every now and then someone connected to it will get in touch. Which in some cases just creates a sort of closure to what you wrote, and in others actually opens up a dialogue.
So far it's happened to me with the authors of books, people who have worked on films and TV series, and then just this weekend, a comic creator.
Back in June of 2002, I was given reason to reflect on a series from many years earlier called Open Season. I waxed lyrical about its quirky, surreal humour and its brilliant creator, Jim Bricker.
Can you see where this is going?
Mr Bricker thanks me for my kind words and asks if I have any questions. I'm a little bowled over. I shall have to have a think 
’s Bloody Late….
And against all my original plans, I stayed on at the company Christmas do for long enough to get hammered and decide that going on to the club was a good idea,
In very many ways, tonight has been very interesting. The extremely high level of expectation attached to our joining the place creates a certain amount of pressure. but it's a positive pressure, and one that gives a lot of scope for making something really good happen out of it.
It's been an interesting day all told, featuring workshops and presentations on the company and where it's going, with Christmas gifts for everyone, and not a penny needing to be spent by anyone on anything (except the bosses of course ....)
Edit - This was originally significantly less coherent, having been written when I came in, having been drinking on and off since 11am yesterday. Note to self - never blog while drunk.
What Weapons?
This morning's headline story in The Independent makes for fascinating reading - the ongoing attempt to rewrite history regarding the reason's for the war on Iraq in particular:
"For Mr Bush, the missing weapons are a politically charged issue. Pressed to explain why his administration had asserted Saddam possessed weapons, when at best fragmentary evidence of programmes had been found, Mr Bush replied: "So what's the difference? "If he were to acquire weapons, he would be the danger," he said in an interview with ABC News' Diane Sawyer.
Mr Bush's public dismissal of the weapons issue is the latest move by Washington and London to changethe justification for war. Weapons of mass destruction, and even weapons programmes, are no longer being put forward as the reason for the invasion."
It’s Not Just Me, Is It?
But it does look like the reason that Santa has 'left his Christmas shopping unattended' is in order to have a slash against the tube map, doesn't it?
PVP
PVP is a comic strip I'd never heard of until just now, but knowing I'd seen and loved ROTK last night, James pointed me at today's edition.
I may start checking it out regularly.
Overkill
So according to the BBC Breakfast News this morning, today's Sun devoted thirty-seven pages to the Soham case, including interviews with those who had previously laid charges against Ian Huntley and a lengthy examination of the 'blunders' on the part of various police forces involved.
Thirty seven pages. It's not just me who thinks that this is totally insane is it?
By the way, and related to a point I would have made anyway about the odd voices raised saying that these accusations should have been available for the jurors to take into account (the point being "no they shouldn't - that's not how the criminal justice system should work"), today's Independent has a very solid leading article on the case, though extremely annoyingly, even leaders are now regarded as premium content by the Indie, so unless you want to be charged for the privilege of reading it, you'll have to take my word for it....
Returned
Well, that was not too shabby. Three and a half hours flew by, filled with more incident, excitement, spectacle, and moments of just sheer heart-stopping "Bloody Hell!" than I'd imagined even this series could achieve. Far and away the best of the trilogy, if this one doesn't finally get Jackson an Oscar then the Academy will at last have shifted itself into complete irrelevance.
I was starting to lose track of the times when I found myself holding my breath, but a couple of the standouts were the lighting of the beacons from Minas Tirith and most of the shots of the various armies charging into battle. And while we're on the subject: Minas Tirith: Fucking Hell!
The criticism, which is unavoidable, and in which I reflect other views I've seen, is that it has at least three endings too many.
The Return….
Woo-Hoo! Today's the day. 7PM showing - there we'll be, wallowing in three hours and thirty five minutes of uninterrupted Middle Earth.
Empire is giving it five stars, and making all sorts of noises about the various other film series and even genres to which it throws down the gauntlet.
I'm *very* excited....