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Tory Party – fighting over scraps
The long drawn out struggle to appoint a new leader for the defeated Tory Party is a needless exercise in the view of some who see yet another change coming up a year or so ahead. The cartoonists are having a field day sticking a head on the skeletal remains of the Conservative Party. … Read more
Charles down under – angry hello
King Charles’ welcoming event at the Australian parliament was disrupted by Aboriginal senator Lidia Thorpe who went on an anti-colonial rant before being ushered out. She has a track record of stunts and angry outbursts, giving a Black Power salute as she prepared to take her oath for the start of a new post-election parliament. … Read more
Chris Hoy – facing the inevitable with a smile
Chris Hoy former track cyclist, is an 11-time world champion and a six-time Olympic champion, endowed not only with sporting talent but also a likeable personality, articulate, intelligent and humble. At the young age of 48 he has written a heartbreaking though surprisingly upbeat book about his terminal cancer diagnosis. All That Matters: My Toughest … Read more
North Korea – tantrums and tears
North Korea is acting provocatively towards the south blowing up a connecting road and making balloon rubbish drops across the border with the present South Korean leader taking a less relaxed view than his predecessor about their troublesome neighbour. Concern is also being voiced about Kim Jong Un’s military support for Putin in Ukraine sending … Read more
Maria Callas – Angelina Jolie dazzles
Maria Callas, the tragic but talented Greek opera singer, is shown in her final days up to her early death at 53 from a heart attack, with flashback memories, in a new biopic starring Angelina Jolie. The film has received mixed reviews, although critics have generally praised its central performance. “Jolie is absolutely spellbinding as … Read more
Joker – insane killer no longer funny
Movie buffs are puzzled about why the billion-grossing movie Joker in 2019 has turned into a 2024 damp squib sequel for Joker: Folie a Deux. Not that the critics loved the earlier version about the murderous clown afflicted with mental illness with its potential to inspire acts of real-life violence and criticism of its brutal … Read more
Mitzi Gaynor – from the heyday of musicals
Mitzi Gaynor, actress, singer and dancer, was best known for South Pacific, the 1958 Rodgers & Hammerstein musical extravaganza which won her a Golden Globe nomination; and There’s No Business Like Showbusiness. She has died aged 93, after a long career performing latterly in nightclubs and on TV specials. She was born 4 September 1931 … Read more
Thomas Tuchel – exceptional focus, three yods
Thomas Tuchel considered one of the best football managers has been named as the England team coach from 1 January 1925. He is described by one commentator as ‘an impressive, if abrasive, personality with a reputation as an outstanding tactician.’ Born 29 August 1973 Krumbach, Germany, no birth time, he has a singular, complex and … Read more
Plagiarism – Saturn does the damage
Plagiariasm is defined as passing someone else’s words or ideas off as one’s own. Effectively stealing. It has long been known in academia and in journalism though there are grey areas in music and the creative arts with arguments over whether ideas or tunes can be copyrightable. On a quick skip through some high … Read more