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Tell me on Sunday Sunday, April 30, 2006 I never did Economics at school. It was taught by a Joe 90 lookalike who drove a Reliant Robin. However, following the death of JK I might be getting a copy of this as it sounds very interesting.
"In it he argued economies were dominated by corporations which decided what to produce and then used advertising to persuade consumers to buy things they did not need rather than build socially useful projects such as schools, roads and hospitals. Are you happy? This little quiz is quite interesting - only five questions. But what questions... Boom Intrigued by the imminent BBC 'Krakatoa' [I love that word] Real Player preview here. I did a bit of looky uppy and then clicky clicky through a few bits of linky linky to read about the largest bomb ever exploded. They don't make em like that any more. Thank God. Horse and carriage Simon's been married for 23 years - which is really quite an achievement and worthy of congratulations so please do. Idol thoughts I love you in a place where there's no space or time I love you for in my life you are a friend of mine And when my life is over Remember when we were together We were alone and I was singing this song to you Elliott Yamin is one of the finalists on American Idol and, as such, it seems that the odds of his disappearing off of the musical radar within a short time must be quite high. However, word is that Elliott's latest performance was something rather special and, after listening to it, I have to agree. Stevie Wonder rated him - which is no small achievement - and I couldn't help being reminded of Stevie whilst listening to, ' A song for you' - I'd buy the album - if it ever appears. See what you think. freshly squeezed for you by drD at 8:40 PM Thursday, April 27, 2006 Wednesday, April 26, 2006 Apologies for the paucity of postings dear reader.
A proclamationThe mood is not with me just now, though there is much to tell. Think of the gap as a holiday from my madness. I'll try very hard to be back very soon. ![]() freshly squeezed for you by drD at 10:24 PM Sunday, April 23, 2006 Ninety years ago on April 21st at 2.15am, Sir Roger Casement, with two companions, landed from the German submarine, U-19 on Banna Strand, the Atlantic Ocean beach on Tralee Bay. The two men, Bailey and Monteith, went to make contact with the local Volunteers. Meanwhile Casement made his way to McKenna's Fort [ now known as Casement's Fort ]. Several hours later he was arrested by the Royal Irish Constabulary. At 6.30pm The Aud Norge was captured by the British Navy and forced to sail towards Cork Harbour. En route, in the early hours of April 22nd, Captain Karl Spindler and crew decided to scuttle the ship, according to a pre-arranged plan to prevent the arms on board falling to enemy hands. The crew put on their German naval uniforms, the German ensign was hoisted and explosive charges detonated. The Aud Norge sank off Daunt's Rock, a sunken reef. Later the same day at 10pm Eóin MacNeill as Chief of Staff of the Irish Volunteers issued an order in Dublin to try to stop the Rising. MacNeill also arranged to publish an advertisement in a Sunday newspaper to halt all Volunteer operations. On April 23rd at 9am The Military Council met to discuss the situation and decided to put The Rising on hold for 24 hours. Meanwhile, hundreds of copies of The Proclamation of the Republic were printed in Liberty Hall [ Replaced in 1965 with what is still the tallest building in Central Dublin ]
Just a perfect day...freshly squeezed for you by drD at 11:59 PM Friday, April 21, 2006 ![]() 0630: Extra large celebration jobbies produced by the Royal Corgi Pack during their morning ablutions. 0635: Ceremonial flypast by Monarch Airlines 0632 Heathrow departure for Magaluf. 0639: Ceremonial flypast by Sovereign Holidays charter flight 0636 Heathrow departure for Benidorm. 0640: Celebratory flatus from His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, KG, KT, PC, OM, GBE, AC, QSO, QVC, Argos. 0650: Congratulatory telephone call to Her Maj from His Excellency Georgius Bushius II, Commander in Chief and President of the World. [Chinese Takeaway]. The Royal Voicemail will be deployed. 0655: Special Birthday Breakfast en Tupperware sponsored by Kelloggs PLC, purveyors of cereal supplies to the Royal trolley. 0659: Ceremonial flypast by Brendajet flight 0653 Heathrow departure for Torremolinos [Snacks and hot drinks extra]. 0715: Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, LG, LT, GCVO, QSO, GCL, GNVQ[Pass] performs a state visit to the WC. 0718: Ceremonial flypast by Helicopter flight GOLF ANDREW FREELOAD enroute for Gleneagles. 0720: His Grace Sir Cliffe of Richardness [himself a nonagenarian] launches an early morning celebratory ceremonial singalongaokeathon in the grounds accompanied by 1200 schoolchildren from inner city academies who have camped overnight in readiness. Full coverage on BBC News 24 [ 16 hours ]. 0800: BBC Radio 4 broadcasts a special tribute from Baroness Bonkers of Dulwich. [She's 82 you know] 0815: Her Majesty attends a commemorative screening of The Texas Chainswaw Massacre in the undercroft of St George's Chapel. 1020: Informal walkabout at Slough Shopping Mall. 1028: Celebration complimentary take away tea style beverage sponsored by Slough Sarny Bar and Snacketeria. 1100: Her Majesty meets with representatives of 39 faith groups at the Windsor and Eton Spirituality Centre for a celebratory love-in and mutually respectful exchange of life perspectives. 1200: 80 gun salute from the IRA in Windsor Great Park 1203: Ceremonial flypast by Wilbur and Orville Wright, Amy Johnson, Neil Armstrong and RichardBranson in his new CowelforceXFactor SpacePlane. 1208: His Grace Sir Cliffe of Richardness breaks off from the celebratory ceremonial singalongaokeathon to join The Royal Party to snort coke in the undergrowth. 1300: Her Maj, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, KG, KT, PC, OM, GBE, AC, QSO, QVC, Argos, Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, LG, LT, GCVO, QSO, GCL, GNVQ[Pass], His Royal Highness The Duke of York, KCVO, ADC, His Royal Highness The Earl of Wessex, KCVO, His Royal Highness Prince Charles Philip Arthur George, Prince of Wales, KG, KT, GCB, OM, AK, QSO, PC, ADC, Earl of Chester, Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles and Prince and Great Steward of Scotland adjourn to a nearby KFC for a 6 pack bucket O' nuggets. 1400: Ceremonial flypast by 80 specially trained swans in dambuster formation. 1410: Her Maj receives cordial birthday greetings from gathered wellwishers and hangerson at the gates of the castle whilst listening to some bangin tunes on The Royal Ipod [ ceremonial mix ]. 1415: Battle of Agincourt 1442: The combined casts of Neighbours, Eastenders, Coronation Street, Wife Swap and Emmerdale present, "Happy 80th Birthday Ma'am - our lives depend on your bounteous munificence" - an affectionate and light hearted tribute featuring wartime melodies and a reenactment of the Battle of the Somme in the grounds of Windsor Castle. Introduced by Moira Stewart and Sir Terence of Wigan. 1530: Ceremonial flypast by The Royal Yacht Britannia recreated as a virtual reality hologram. 1533: The Royal Corgi Pack perform Cirque du Soleil in a surprise tribute arranged by His Royal Highness The Duke of York, KCVO, ADC who has secretly trained the corgis during his lunchbreak for the past five years. 1600: Ceremonial marchpast by the National Sheep Herd, lead by Tony Blair and other members of Her Majesty's government. 1700: Tea - served by Mrs Doyle and the cast of Father Ted. 1706: Ceremonial slimepast by Baron St John of Fawsley and Mr Paul Burrell. 1712: Newcomen engine invented. 1720: Ceremonial flypast by The Royal Aphids trained by Lord Alan Titchmarsh of Wyevale. 1746: Battle of Culloden 1800: A moving personal tribute from His Royalness, Prince Tamponis of Organiconia is broadcast on all channels for 3 hours. [Full extended coverage on The Horse Channel] 1805: His Royalness, Prince Tamponis of The Highlands and Knight Commander of the Ford Escort hosts a lavish banquet at Spearmint Rhino in honour of his M'ma. [Prince Harold von Sturmtrooper loyalty card] 1812: Overture 2000: Ceremonial drive by shooting in Tooting. 2006: Anus olddearus 2100: His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, KG, KT, PC, OM, GBE, AC, QSO, QVC, Argos proposes a toast to Her Maj. All gentlemen present retire to the pole dancing lounge. Her Maj, Princess Happiana and The Duchess of Foxhunt enage in ceremonial smalltalk. 2130: A special one off performance by Peter Andre and Jordan O'Boobage as they reprise the Love Theme from their wedding, 'A whole new Queen' accompanied by Sir Alan Sugar on his organ. 2131: The Royal Party board their ceremonial helicopter [sponsored by Inland Revenue] and depart for a private family dingdong about Diana and that Wallis Simpson woman. 2200 - 2007: Endless tributes, special events and reruns of the above. freshly squeezed for you by drD at 8:00 AM Thursday, April 20, 2006 1916 - unexpected arrival
1916 - a forgery90 years ago today the 'Aud Norge' arrived off the Irish coast in Tralee Bay. Karl Spindler, the ships captain, was instructed to wait for a signal from shore before attempting to land the arms. Local volunteers onshore, however, were not expecting the ship until Easter Saturday, two days away. Unsurprisingly, Spindler does not receive any signal and no arms are landed. Sensing that the plan is falling apart he decides to move the ship to a more concealed position behind one of the Magharee Islands [ More to follow ] freshly squeezed for you by drD at 8:40 PM Wednesday, April 19, 2006 90 years ago Dublin Castle was the seat of British power in Ireland.
1916On April 19th 1916 Alderman Kelly read a statement, purporting to be from Dublin Castle, to a meeting of Dublin Corporation. Kelly was a member of the Irish Volunteers, a group whose stated objective was: 'To secure and maintain the rights and liberties common to all the people of Ireland; To train, discipline, arm and equip a body of Irish Volunteers for the above purpose; and to unite for this purpose Irish men of every creed and of every party and class'. This forged document indicated that there were to be mass arrests of Irish Volunteers to prevent "trouble". By 1914 it is known that the Volunteers had around 100,000 members, albeit mostly unarmed. The growing unease of the British authorities with the groundswell of Irish resistance would fit perfectly with this supposed crackdown. An article published in 'The Irish Volunteer' on the 8th April called for 'manoeuvres' on Easter Sunday (the 23rd). This was in fact code for a planned uprising. Eoin MacNeill, at this stage, was still in the dark about these plans. The forged document was designed to provoke MacNeill into a defensive response. It worked and he issued an order to his group to take part in a 'defensive war' strenghthened by his belief that the arms shipment from Germany was imminent. MacNeill was soon to learn of his deception and attempt to halt the rebellion at the eleventh hour but events were about to overtake him. [ More to follow ] freshly squeezed for you by drD at 11:00 PM Tuesday, April 18, 2006 On April 9th 90 years ago a ship called The Libau left the
Sunshineport of Lübeck on Germany's Baltic coast. The captain, Karl Spindler, gave the ship a fictitious Norwegian identity, changing it's name to 'Aud Norge'. Spindler's action was designed as a subterfuge to deflect attention from British Naval forces. The crew of 'Aud Norge' had something to hide; 20 thousand rifles and 10 machine guns together with a large quantity of ammunition - to be delivered to a rendezvous in Tralee Bay on the south west coast of Ireland. Three days later on April 12th at Wilhelmshaven to the west of Lübeck, a British diplomat, Sir Roger Casement boarded U16, a German submarine bound for the same rendezvous. Casement hoped to reach Ireland before the shipment of arms. He'd spent two years in Germany attempting to gather support for an Irish rebellion designed to achieve independence from Britain. Irish prisoners of war in Germany were reluctant to join the 'Irish Brigade' Casement attempted to form. The German government, though at war with Britain, would not be drawn into an Irish adventure. They placated Casement with the arms shipment but he knew that this would be an inadequate drop in the ocean against the might of British forces. Without solid German backing or his band of brothers he needed to rush back to Ireland to make contact with Eoin MacNeill. MacNeill, Casement believed to be still in charge of the rebel movment. Casement wanted to warn him to halt the planned rebellion. Casement would never get to MacNeill and the arms would never get to the rebels but the course of Irish and British history was about to change. [ More to follow ] freshly squeezed for you by drD at 7:16 PM Friday, April 14, 2006 ..in BnJville today. The first for about 98 months. And I could turn the heating off.
So I've written nothing here for 3 days. So I'm slack. So sorry n all if you've been longing for some extrusions from my tortured brain. Don't call us You drive-in to your local er drive-in McLardburger and speak to the McAssistant behind the McBullet proof McScreen. [ or so you think ] But ha!, The Ronald has fooled you. You are in fact talking to Julissa in Hawaii who then cybersquirts your order back to the McDrones inside the McLardburger. This new, and frankly worrying, manifestation of call centreitis is depressing. Next time you go to the chippy you might be trying to explain to Ashram in Mumbai exactly what you want him to do with your deep fried Mars Bar. Link Thanks to Muddz for linkage. He's a potter and a talented teacher and a campaigner and I don't know where he finds the time. Junior ![]() Ian posts a scan of a most disturbing advert for a freshly squeezed for you by drD at 8:32 PM Tuesday, April 11, 2006 Movies
ExposedI stumbled across the internet archive earlier. Really interesting collection of material. Really interesting idea. Some very funny bits too including such video gems as: How to Buy Meat (Part I) Color it Clean - "Shows the detailed steps necessary to achieve a high standard of cleanliness in a public restroom and presents the opinions, attitudes and personal feelings of the men who do the job" A fine collection of cartoons - including a fair few Betty Boop and Popeye titles. Perversion for Profit (Part I) - "Anti-pornography film.. linking pornography to the Communist conspiracy and the decline of Western civilization. Santa Claus' Punch and Judy - Santa magically creates a Punch and Judy puppet show to the delight of children at a Christmas party. WARNING! Parents may wish to watch this before exposing innocent eyes to the comic brutality of a Punch and Judy puppet show from the late 1940s - including some very non-PC scenes.and topically, Personal Hygiene (Part I) - "U.S. Army Military training drama showing how the residents of a barracks convince a sloppy soldier to clean up his act. With many folk songs on cleanliness."freshly squeezed for you by drD at 11:59 PM Monday, April 10, 2006 Can you be prosecuted for dereliction of blogging?
AdvertIf so then I may well end up with a 10 stretch, the way I am at the momement. So much going on, so little time to write about it. Not strictly so as you also need the inclination to write about it - true? I'm definitely in a 'doing it' mode rather than a 'writing about it' mode - which is good - I think. Anyway, an interesting recent trend amongst Bloggers I read is - how can I put this? - the Intimate Information Revelation Syndrome [IIRS]. It started with someone revealing the nature, age, source, cleaning, duration and longevity of their underwear. Soon after [ and I tread as lightly around this one as I can dear reader ] I happened upon a bathroom aroma revelation. More recently not one but two different in-blog discussions of personal hygiene practices and malfunctions. One of the central appeals of blogging and blog reading, I believe, is the pleasure one derives from constructing, using the fragments of information presented to one by the writer, an imaginary picture of the writer and his or her peculiarities, precincts, peccadillos and predilections. I think of it as a bit like Radio Four. You only have the voices to go on. I imagine Sue Lawley to be wearing stilettos and fishnets as she probes her Desert Island Diskers. Libby Purves [until I saw her photo just now - see?] I'd pictured as one might a friendly teacher, slightly rounded but smiling and ever supportive like a favourite jockstrap. John Humphrys will be the man they call in to announce the end of the world. There he is in my mind looking grave and jabbing his finger accusingly. Mental pictures rarely match the reality, I know, but that's part of the pleasure for me. And for you too dear reader as you picture me, a vision of manly perfection, a knowing smile playing cheekily across my lips. A pile of discarded Guinness cans playfully rolling around at my feet. Over the course of a blogging career [ see how I'm talking a long game here? ], one must be mindful, I believe, of One's duty to One's audience to allow them the means to get the measure of One. To gain glimpses of the inner One, the outer One but rarely if ever the under One and never to sniff the mereist whiff of a niff - no sirree. For in blogging, as the great master Mr Mies once said, less is more. So, dear reader, may you be assured that you will never learn from my organ of odours, orifices or indeed .. er organs and such like and so forth. I realise that this limits my options somewhat, precludes major blog awards, book deals, mass readership and personal sexual allure but that's how I like it - for now. Meanwhile, here's a picture of my cock to keep you going. freshly squeezed for you by drD at 9:23 PM Saturday, April 08, 2006
The UK National Lottery has a pretty abysmal record when it comes to advertising. 'Memorable' offerings include the giant finger pointing at potential winners from the sky, 'It could be yooooooo' - booming out in a Brian Blessed stylee. Then there was the execrable Billy Connolly series with the purple bearded one [ "I'm so street I live in LA" ] exhorting us to live a lotto. Latterly a unicorn with the voice of Graham Norton has been doing utterly forgettable things for what seems like years but can only be a matter of months. Somebody at Lotto HQ must finally have cracked and decided to bring in the professionals - [ In this case Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO Ltd ]. They've produced the brilliant 'The Big Win' [No, not the Big Yin - he got sacked remember ] In a classy piece of animation with a charmingly cute soundtrack and a fairytale quality, a bag full of smiles is distributed far and wide. Subtlety and gentle humour are used to great effect. We likey a lotto. freshly squeezed for you by drD at 11:59 PM Thursday, April 06, 2006 Wednesday, April 05, 2006 Quick question
![]() ![]() ![]() Based purely on personal attractiveness - who should be the next prime minister of the UK? freshly squeezed for you by drD at 9:00 AM Monday, April 03, 2006 Stalling
Transportational typographyI need to stall someone for about 3 weeks. They want money and I don't want to give it to them - yet [ I have other plans for it meantime]. Your creative stalling suggestions please. [Be assured nobody will be harmed by this] Pigcam update The piglets have found out how to escape from the shed. Photos have been posted. Scroll down for new pics. Lectures I've recently discovered the LSE free public lecture programme. Two which caught my fancy are: Love your Job or Hate it? The Economics of Job Satisfaction. 8/5/06 Beyond Power/Knowledge - an exploration of the relation of power, ignorance and stupidity. 25/5/06 See you there? Smile Have you noticed how the smiley symbols in Haloscan comments have all received spray tans? Is there something we need to know? freshly squeezed for you by drD at 7:24 PM Sunday, April 02, 2006 I found the responses to the quick question about motorway signs last week very interesting. The majority preferred the existing design [RHS] with only slight enthusiasm for the alternative. Depsite the concern which appears to have gripped some there is no official move to change the design of British motorway signs. In fact the images used [ sourced from the excellent CBRD ] show a 1950's experimental image which was produced to make the case for adopting the alternative design.
David Kindersley and 'accomplice' Brooke Crutchley engaged in a prolonged public argument with the Ministry of Transport to reduce the size of the proposed signs to be used on the new national motorway network then under construction. Key to the downsizing was the use of a serif typeface called MOT serif which was already in use on many roadsigns, which at that time were not to a nationally standardised design. Kindersley had an impeccable pedigree. He trained with Eric Gill, whom I've written about before. Gill, as you may recall, was the originator of the sublime Gill Sans typeface. Gill was a pupil of Edward Johnston, designer of the classic London Underground typeface which inspired Gill Sans. Kindersley himself went on to design a typeface for use on British street name signs which is still, like Johnston's and Gill's designs, in use to this day. Kindersley was well placed to argue for a more subtle and classical approach in the new motorway signs and it's interesting to consider how the visual character of our highways would have evolved had he succeeded in persuading the government of the day. Jock Kinneir and Margaret Calvert's sign designs, which have been likened to a corporate identity for the UK, were an early herald of the British embrace of modernism which, I would argue, has only truly taken hold around the turn of this century. Typeface links Deep n meaningful discussion of sign typeface legibility here. David Kindersley's studio More fools you ![]() In case you missed it. Eggy soil glue from Anna. Psychoprobing from BW. Pussy love. BBC UK theme goes Euro - I fell for this one. [ Real audio ] And this - I nearly launched an anti Coldplay campaign. Might do anyway as they are crap public school twats.freshly squeezed for you by drD at 12:01 AM |
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