The Night Mail

[Dave Hunt]

Just booked for me and my two sons to see the Eagles in Manchester on June 8th. I missed out when they last played UK but have cracked it this time. Not exactly cheap but since it is their farewell tour it's worth it.

 

Dave 

[Oldddudders]

14 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

No, thats his cousin the roofer. (A tyle is an old name for a brick).

I suppose in Mah-jongg one starts by building the Great Wall of China - from tiles. 

[Oldddudders]

4 minutes ago, Dave Hunt said:

Just booked for me and my two sons to see the Eagles in Manchester on June 8th. I missed out when they last played UK but have cracked it this time. Not exactly cheap but since it is their farewell tour it's worth it.

I do hope the venue is actually open by then. Lots of disgruntled punters and acts right now. 

[Dave Hunt]

Jill was supposed to be meeting up with some ex-nursing colleagues for lunch today, which would have left me free to spend the day in the shed, but it was cancelled this morning as some can't make it due to illness. Ah, well, this morning has been otherwise spoken for but after my daily walk in a few minutes' time and a spot of lunch I may still negotiate some modelling time.

 

Dave

[br2975]

14 hours ago, Michael Hodgson said:

So why don''t we send him back now and save the taxpayer the cost of so many years porridge? 

If the yanks send him to the electric chair, that'll save them the cost of the porridge too.

.

Because Britain refuses to extradite prisoners back to countries where they will face the death penalty - even if it is lawful in that country.

.

I think you'll find Beiber will (hopefully) die in prison here in the UK.

[Steamport Southport]

5 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

You’ve highlighted a considerable problem facing many democratic Western countries: a total disconnect between the decision makers and (to use a modern term) “influencers” (media pundits, the “mediarati” etc) and the general populace.

This disconnect extends far beyond the serious matters of state - it’s everywhere, even in something as lightweight as entertainment.
 

This is exemplified on Rotten Tomatoes, where films - praised to high heaven by the critics - absolutely tank in the court of public opinion. And to add insult to injury (so to speak) the critics (and others) then refuse to even contemplate that they may have made a misjudgment but instead blame the public for being……. well, whatever.  A good example of this was the reaction of critics and the filmmakers to the all-female reboot of Ghostbusters absolutely tanking at the box office and in viewer reviews. They claim that the reboot tanked not because it was badly written, badly acted and badly directed (which it was), but because of the bigotry and misogyny of the cinema-going public.

I would go as far as to claim that one of the biggest problems facing most Western democracies is the shirking of personal responsibility. It is never “my fault”, it’s always “someone else’s fault”. And even when someone is caught “bang to rights” (or holding a smoking gun - choose your metaphor), then they have the get-out-of-jail-free-card of being afflicted by a “condition” or a “syndrome”.

 

One day, something will snap and the politicos better hope that it isn’t the beleaguered middle class.
 

My father, a keen student of history, observed that it was when the middle classes got intolerably squeezed (politically, economically, socially, financially) that you had successful revolutions: the Robespierres, the Lenins, the Mao Zedongs all coming from an equivalent of the middle class.

 

I wonder if this is an observation that the Lords This or Sirs That of the UK’s political class have made.

 

The film bit....

 

1969 was seen as a classic year for movies. Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid, Midnight Cowboy, Easy Rider, True Grit, The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie, and countless others.

 

Biggest grossing film at the UK box office? Carry On Camping!

[jamie92208]

10 minutes ago, Steamport Southport said:

 

The film bit....

 

1969 was seen as a classic year for movies. Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid, Midnight Cowboy, Easy Rider, True Grit, The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie, and countless others.

 

Biggest grossing film at the UK box office? Carry On Camping!

I wonder what stood out about that film. 

 

Jamie

[Hroth]

6 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

I wonder what stood out about that film. 

 

Jamie

 

The flying bikini top....

 

To please HH - The Flying Bikini Tops!!!  Appearing twice nightly!!!!!!

 

 

Edited May 2 by Hroth

[bbishop]

2 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

I wonder what stood out about that film. 

 

Jamie

Did they?

[Happy Hippo]

4 minutes ago, Hroth said:

 

The flying bikini top....

 

Sounds like an acrobatic display team?

[Winslow Boy]

1 hour ago, Dave Hunt said:

Just booked for me and my two sons to see the Eagles in Manchester on June 8th. I missed out when they last played UK but have cracked it this time. Not exactly cheap but since it is their farewell tour it's worth it.

 

Dave 

I hope that isn't at Co-op Live as they've had to cancel another performance and it's competitors are now looking to host a couple of the gigs they'd booked in.

 

They have made an absolute cluster f£#k of getting it finished and if I were the Co-op I'd be asking for my money back.

[Dave Hunt]

6 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

Sounds like an acrobatic display team?

I would imagine that if Barbara Windsor had tried to run after losing her bikini top there would be some interesting acrobatics. 
 

Dave

[jamie92208]

1 minute ago, Dave Hunt said:

I would imagine that if Barbara Windsor had tried to run after losing her bikini top there would be some interesting acrobatics. 
 

Dave

Would a Windsor knot help. 

 

Jamie

[Dave Hunt]

4 minutes ago, Winslow Boy said:

I hope that isn't at Co-op Live as they've had to cancel another performance and it's competitors are now looking to host a couple of the gigs they'd booked in.

 

They have made an absolute cluster f£#k of getting it finished and if I were the Co-op I'd be asking for my money back.

Yes it is at Co-op live but I’m hoping that in another five weeks they may have fixed it.

 

Dave

[Winslow Boy]

1 minute ago, Dave Hunt said:

Yes it is at Co-op live but I’m hoping that in another five weeks they may have fixed it.

 

Dave

I think that's what the ex- chief executive said before they c£#&£#d it up again and he resigned.

[Happy Hippo]

1 hour ago, Dave Hunt said:

Just booked for me and my two sons to see the Eagles in Manchester on June 8th. I missed out when they last played UK but have cracked it this time. Not exactly cheap but since it is their farewell tour it's worth it.

 

Dave 

Dave, I don't want you to be too disappointed but the Eagles as you know them, will not be appearing:

 

 

Instead it will be some little known Western Rock band.

 

 

[Winslow Boy]

3 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

Dave, I don't want you to be too disappointed but the Eagles as you know them, will not be appearing:

 

 

Instead it will be some little known Western Rock band.

 

 

That might be a difficult choice for Ramrod to make.

[monkeysarefun]

50 minutes ago, Dave Hunt said:

I would imagine that if Barbara Windsor had tried to run after losing her bikini top there would be some interesting acrobatics. 
 

Dave

 

 

I know not of the lady of which you speak  BUT we did get the unfeasibly shaped Sabrina paying a visit down here in 1961. She appeared in ads promoting a brand of high temperature automotive  grease -  those advertisers back then  certainly knew the way to an average Australian blokes heart and wallet.

 

 

 

Edited May 2 by monkeysarefun

[Steamport Southport]

49 minutes ago, Winslow Boy said:

I hope that isn't at Co-op Live as they've had to cancel another performance and it's competitors are now looking to host a couple of the gigs they'd booked in.

 

They have made an absolute cluster f£#k of getting it finished and if I were the Co-op I'd be asking for my money back.

 

A venue that wasn't needed but seems to be a means for Manchester City to avoid Financial Fair Play rules by "investing" in local infrastructure.....

 

Part of City Football Group

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_Football_Group

[rockershovel]

The times they are a-changin' - the death penalty was really politically untenable when it was suspended, and eventually shelved altogether. 

 

There had been too many difficult cases, particularly Craig and Bentley and the Rillington Place murders, in which Tim Evans may well have gone to the gallows on the testimony of the likely culprit. 

 

 

[PhilJ W]

39 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

 

 

I know not of the lady of which you speak  BUT we did get the unfeasibly shaped Sabrina paying a visit down here in 1961. She appeared in ads promoting a brand of high temperature automotive  grease -  those advertisers back then  certainly knew the way to an average Australian blokes heart and wallet.

 

 

 

They don't show the bit where he offered to grease her nipples.

[SM42]

56 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

 

 

I know not of the lady of which you speak  BUT we did get the unfeasibly shaped Sabrina paying a visit down here in 1961. She appeared in ads promoting a brand of high temperature automotive  grease -  those advertisers back then  certainly knew the way to an average Australian blokes heart and wallet.

 

 

 

 

Not the Sabrina I was thinking of.

 

I think she may have been Italian

 

Andy

[Steamport Southport]

The British Sabrina had a few bit parts in British comedy films of the era. Then went to Hollywood to star in some low budget horror movies as a bit of a Scream Queen.

 

 

 

 

[DenysW]

18 hours ago, Michael Hodgson said:

If the yanks send him to the electric chair, that'll save them the cost of the porridge too.

I congratulate you for not keeping up with the fate of the repellent Julian Assange. His lawyer's latest ploy, supported by HMGovt, is to demand an assurance from the US Govt that he will not be exposed to the death penalty - if deported to their care. We Brits apparently don't deport to friendly countries that might execute the deportee for the crimes alleged in the deportation request. We also don't deport for crimes that wouldn't be offenses if committed in the UK.

 

Rats. A re-post of @br2975's shorter version.

Edited May 2 by DenysW

[monkeysarefun]

53 minutes ago, rockershovel said:

The times they are a-changin' - the death penalty was really politically untenable when it was suspended, and eventually shelved altogether. 

 

There had been too many difficult cases, particularly Craig and Bentley and the Rillington Place murders, in which Tim Evans may well have gone to the gallows on the testimony of the likely culprit. 

 

 

 

 

Australians had to face the death penalty question in 2015 when Indonesia executed  two Australian nationals for drug trafficking.

 

They were the ringleaders of "The Bali 9" , a small-time gang of simple folk who were co-erced into carrying   heroin from Bali back to Australia. The whole operation was tracked by Australian Federal police who informed the Indonesian authorities as the gang were about to board a flight back here, meaning that they faced a potential death sentence, rather than being arrested in Australia where they'd have got time in prison instead. They were intercepted by Indonesian authorities and after a series of trials were sentenced to various amounts of jail time, ranging from decades to life, while the two ringleaders - Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran  - were sentenced to death. 

 

Initially Australian public sentiment was pretty harsh - Indonesia lets it be known via huge signs in airports etc that drug trafficking means death so "they only had themselves to blame" - but as the years went on and  the profile of the  two ring leaders via media interviews was put out there, public sentiment changed. 

 

It was revealed that Andew Chan had become a born-again christian and spent his time running the prisons christian mission, English language classes and mentored newly arrived prisoners.

 

Myuran Sukumaran taught English, computer science , graphic design and philosophy classes to prisoners. He was instrumental in opening up a computer and art room and also pushed unsuccessfully for an accountancy and law course to be set up.

 

In February 2015, Melbournes Curtin University conferred Sukumaran with an associate degree in Fine Arts. He also started a business which sells artworks and a clothing brand called Kingpin Clothing.

Sukumaran was appointed head of a group of over 20 prisoners, including those facing execution and housed in the prison's maximum security wing. His role included assigning tasks to prisoners under him, liaising with the guards, resolving disputes and overseeing modest penalties for those who transgressed  in their jobs cleaning, gardening and making small repairs in the prison.

 

 

Sukumaran painted multiple self-portraits while on Nusakambangan, the island he was transferred to pending execution.  His final painting resembles a bleeding Indonesian flag.

 

 

Along with Andrew Chan, he converted to Christianity while imprisoned.  Prior to his death, he was working on a bachelor's degree on Fine Arts from Curtin University. Australian artist Matthew Sleeth, who ran art workshops inside Kerobokan prison, called him the "best student" he had seen.

 

The jails governor, in a final plea to Indonesia's president stated that the two men had been instrumental in improving the spiritual and intellectual lives of the prison population and should remain there to continue their valuable work. 

 

Despite all this, in the late evening of  28th April 2015, the two Australians and 6 other prisoners were transferred by boat to the place of execution.

 

All eight prisoners refused to be blindfolded. They were tied to cross-shaped posts so their arms were spread wide, a target was pinned above their  heart and they  sang "Amazing Grace" and "10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)" before being shot by a 12-member firing squad  comprised of members of the Indonesian special forces.

 

Amnesty International condemned the executions, describing them as "reprehensible", which by that time most Australians agreed with. 

 

Edited May 2 by monkeysarefun