Posts by Joe Wylie
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What would Harry Holland or Peter Fraser make of Labour's touching faith in the power of markets to deliver equable political coverage?
As Hell Pizza will probably be re-animating them sometime soon we just might get the answer to that, except they'll likely be too busy pimping fast food.
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Imagery I did not need #25336
In answer, though, while I had no time for Richardson's incredibly selfish policy, I could at least understand how heartless they were. With Key, I'm pushed to understand anything.Imagery you do not need #25337(?):
Ruth shamelessly dry-humped Douglas at every chance. Key's rather more circumspect. -
Then there is the endorsement no-one wants
At least he's not threatening to attack America if Obama wins, as The Onion had him doing four years ago in the event of a Kerry victory:
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/30742 -
Yeah, but you can't beat this guy.
I wonder if he's from anywhere around these parts:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fucking_austria -
And if anyone knows about Enduring Chill it’s the Groke...
Ha!
I think they should have retained the first translator, who gave it the feel of a quirky nature-child Bjork video.
Agree. Don't know why they brought in Elizabeth Portch - there's a lot of scope for license with Jansson's inventive use of language, and as far as I can gather Thomas Warburton, the earlier translator, seems to have carried across more of the meaning of the characters' original Swedish-language names.
Thomas Teal and Kingsley Hart seem to have done a pretty good job on her later adult stuff. The Summer Book and the autobiographical Sculptor's Daughter are real favourites of mine - life portrayed from both ends, childhood and old age, like nothing I've found elsewhere. Very funny too. I finally got to read her last novel, Sun City, earlier this year. As it's set in an old folks' home in Florida, a long way from the Gulf of Finland, I rather doubted that she'd handle such a setting convincingly. It's a little gem.
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None taken.
Well of course not, I mean you need a hide like a rhino to be involved in the phonespam biz . . .
Seriously, tho, if charity callers were doing it from the goodness of their hearts it'd be a minor crime to be rude to them. Unfortunately practically none of them are, and I have been pretty short with one. Calling on behalf of the Westpac (this in Oz) rescue helicopter - "don't worry, this isn't an emergency call."
I'm sorry, but leading with a crap joke is an absolute killer for me. If only they'd point out to these people that there's a fine line between charm and smarm. -
As Sam F said, there are surveys where "it's obviously in the public good to give respectable answers", and I do recall a pleasant 25 or thereabouts minutes giving my $0.02 to a very nice woman on my use of public parks. She even asked what the occasional funny noise in the background was (my electric pencil sharpener). When she realised that I was working she was really appreciative that I'd taken the time.
Unfortunately very few are like that. A lot of us work from home, and keep non-standard hours. In practice I usually ask how long a survey'll take. It's really annoying to be treated as if a minimum fifteen minutes of your time is no big deal, especially by someone who's earning an - admittedly paltry - income from the situation. Being stupidly rude always leaves a bad feeling afterwards, but the blunt presumption that you'll drop what you're doing to talk about, say, personal banking, is highly resistable. That's when I have to ask if they're doing this for a living. When I, as politely as poss, point out that I'm working too, they take the point.
Very sweet of you to offer yourself a a role model Jackie, but I do wonder about always taking the time to answer these things. For example, if you happen to have guests at the time they must be very understanding.
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Wrote to M&S in Baker St, commending the manger for enterprise and compassion.
I know it's just a typo, but it reminded of one from a Xmas flyer from the long-defunct Warehouse rival, Cargo King:
Nativity set, complete with shepherds, 3 wise men & manager.
I looked in vain at the illustration, hoping to spot a figurine of a suit clutching a mobile phone. Pity, really, if there had been I'd have bought a dozen. -
. . . Undulant Fever would have to be a contender.
Um, also known as The Enduring Chill. Fortunately it's never been re-titled Brucellosis for audiences outside the US.
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I think it's appaling how the Catholic church in particular has got away in recent decades with concealing and sanitising its proud (and oh so recent - collusion with the Nazis, anyone?) history of sadism, brutality, antisemitism and torture.
If there really is a generous Catholic God then there ought to be a lot more Catholics like Flannery O'Connor. While it's difficult to name a Best Short Story Ever, Undulant Fever would have to be a contender.