Gone Fishin'

No Pressure, America, But . . .

2008-11-04T22:30:56Z

. . . you do know that if you don't rid yourself of the pox that has infested Washington for the last eight years, the rest of the world will be leaving for safer and saner climes. Don't you?

You wouldn't let a child play with a gun, so don't let Sarah Palin . . . just don't let Sarah Palin, please. Please?

Too Stupid to Live?

2008-10-21T20:24:39Z

Words fail me.

Luckily, they seem to have no children - probably because they're too scared to have sex lest the noise scare away the stork - so at least this particular genetic road to nowhere looks like being a cul de sac.

Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them . . .

2008-10-09T21:42:17Z

. . . is a fine book - even if I did find it more scary than funny! I think I need to read some more Franken to take away the bitter taste of McCain-Palin politics.

Sadly, I lack the time to fully express my disgust and disdain for these two people whose (lack of) character and peddling of outright lies in a Rovian win-at-any-cost fashion should, in any civilised world, bar them from even saying the words 'presidential campaign' (that would also cover sayin' 'em, gosharnityoubetcha), let alone run one. However, since the Commander-in-Chief of the United States does have his or her hands on a reasonably formidable arsenal of WMDs (you remember them - they were all over Iraq but nobody's managed to find them . . .), I thought the following was worth watching . . .

The Wrong Palin!

2008-09-09T22:50:20Z

Here's a very funny video, care of Richard Dawkins' excellent site, poking even more holes in the already Swiss-cheese-like strategy of the GOP.

Like all great comedy, it contains that all-important kernel of truth. The fact is that this well-known, much-loved comic personality is more qualified to be US Vice President than the rifle-shootin', moose-eatin', bible-bashin', book-bannin', do-what-I-say-not-what-I-do, religo-fascist harridan that McCain has foisted on the American people (and, therefore, the world) in an insultingly obvious attempt to swing disgruntled Hilary supporters and bring the average age of the Republican candidates down to 106.

Hell, I'd vote for him!

Through a Glass . . .

2008-09-08T08:12:06Z

It seems to have been geological ages since I've posted anything - call it pressures of work or arrant laziness - but I saw something that got me thinking, this morning.

On the way from the station to the office, I regularly pass the London headquarters of the Travolta Cruise Institute for Fraud and Lying. I did so again, this morning, and saw a lorry parked out the front, apparently delivering new windows. They were quite large - perhaps 10' x 5' and were tinted a slight bluish shade. It's this last that surprised me; I assumed they'd be clear . . . >:-)

Evil. No Other Word for It

2008-04-29T13:14:19Z

It's not just me, is it? This is an act of such unspeakable evil and cruelty that no curse in any language is sufficient for this particular species of filth. I find the third paragraph particularly chilling from an alleged officer of the law.

I'm sick to death of hearing about how we should 'respect cultural differences' or 'respect their religion' in cases like this. No. No more. Star Trek-like Prime Directives be f*cked. Enough of this shit. There is nothing to respect in a culture or religion that would not just condone, but encourage this sort of behaviour.

'Honour killing', eh? Well, Mr Abdel-Qader, those of us who have more than two brain cells to rub together have a different word for it: murder. And the most despicable form of murder, too - murder of your own child, for whom you have a duty of care and should, if you had an ounce of human decency in you, feel a certain amount of love. I cannot imagine what it takes to do this to one's own flesh and blood, but I have a pretty good idea that the R-word is involved. The quicker we as a species grow up and cast off this plague of religion, the better. Any school of thought or belief that encourages the sort of action this deluded pig and his brainless sons engaged in not a direction any intelligent, civilised society should want to move in. In the extremely unlikely event that there is a hell, I hope this murdering scum and all of his accomplices and apologists burn in it.

Richard Dawkins or Christopher Hitchens would no doubt put it more eloquently, but let me cut to the crux of the matter:

Religion is the pox on the arse of humanity. It's the poor excuse men and women use to blame god for the evil shit that they do.

Unnatural Selection

2008-03-21T17:43:32Z

This priceless item was on richarddawkins.net:

Expelled!

You'd think that, by now, it was impossible to be surprised by the stupidity and bullying of the Creationist lobby (sorry, it's "intelligent design", now, isn't it? I'd forgotten that their argument has evolved. . .), and yet they keep pulling out new and interesting ways to prove that they're total dickheads.

Actually, maybe they have something after all? If Darwin was right, these dopes should surely all have died out by now. Hmmm. . .

Farewell, Sir Arthur

2008-03-18T22:29:37Z

Just heard on the BBC news that Sir Arthur C. Clarke has passed away. Hardly a shock, given that he was 90 years old, but nonetheless. . .

My love of science fiction can be dated back to reading Arthur C. Clarke. As a teen, I devoured everything I could get my hands on - his novels, short story collections, non-fiction. Perhaps, I'll post more later but, for now, I think I'm going to go and read a few Clarke short stories.

Cruise Control

2008-01-29T22:57:43Z

Or, more correctly, Cruise out-of-control. Has anyone else seen this?

Remarkable. He really seems to believe it. One thing I note was absent, though, was mention of the minimum salary level for joining the "church" of scientology. That wasn't exactly made . . . clear.

So which is stranger . . .

2007-11-25T21:09:19Z

. . . that my four-year-old daughter requests that I read her stories in my Jimmy Stewart voice? Or that a picture book set around the Glasgow docks actually sounds quite good read that way?

What do you think, Harvey . . . ?

It's Aliiiiivvee!

2007-10-27T15:53:45Z

How can you not love a design style called 'Frankenblog'?

Bwah ha ha ha ha!

Awwwww . . .

2007-10-19T12:10:17Z

Just when you think the day can't get any better (me having a day off, and all), Charlotte has learned to say "Daddy".

No Longer Breaking News

2007-10-11T12:41:14Z

As almost everyone has been noting in the last hour or so, Doris Lessing has won this year's Nobel Prize for Literature. This despite having written unworthy rubbish set in outer space. Good for her.

I now wait to see whether the literary pages of the world's dead tree journals decide to completely ignore, mention but dismiss as an irrelevance or fairly and accurately assess Ms Lessing's SF canon. I will be placing none of my filthy lucre on the last possibility.

Look Forward in Anger

2007-10-06T11:14:23Z

There was, I suppose, a certain inevitability that my first post at LiveJournal - a presence hitherto maintained solely to read and comment on friends' journals - would be a reaction to somebody saying something stupid and/or inflammatory about a topic I happen to care about.

So: reading Ansible this morning, I come across this:
Howard Jacobson runs true to form in a recent interview. Anna Metcalfe: 'What makes you cross to read?' Jacobson: 'Science fiction and fantasy; or anything aimed at a child's mind. I don't think children's literature should exist.' (Financial Times, 8 September)

Now, I know I've said in the past that I will rise above such petty concerns, but sometimes you have to stand up for what you believe in and, in as mature and reasoned a fashion as possible, say "Oh yeah? Well, you are!"

So, as a professional working in the field of science fiction and fantasy, with two children who both show signs of being fascinated by books, I claim right of reply. It struck me that the fairest way of answering little Howie was to pose the same question to my four-year-old daughter. Thus:

Me: What makes you cross to read?
Emily: Allegedly 'humorous' novels by self-important, supercilious troublemakers; or anything by somebody who believes themselves to be the arbiter or guardian of high culture. I don't think Howard Jacobson should exist.

There. That feels better.