polymerpunkah

Sums up our times:

Two cunts in a punt.

My favourite bit was the stupid fucker got the ultimate get-out-of-jail-free card, and was still too fucking stupid to stay out of jail.

George Benson "On Broadway" Bob Seger "Mainstreet" Marc Cohn "Walking in Memphis" Beale Street

How big was the loan guarantee that fellow arranged for Johnson in return for making him head of BBC? 800k? Graft, plain and simple. I'd love to know the terms of that deal.

Ian Tyson "Summer Wages" Includes "all the beer parlours all down along Main Street" in Vancouver. I've been in a few.

Ripley: {SPOILER}Didn't read the books nor watch the movies, so knew nothing going in. I don't know what the lead was trying to do, but he came off as a repellant oddball--the exact opposite of what a conman is supposed to be. How can you be charmed by someone with no charm? Which made the entire story unbelievable. The production and supporting cast were excellent.{SPOILER}

Trump is boasting that he over-turned Roe v. Wade, so this is an appropriate spot for it.

Warren Zevon "Desperados Under the Eaves" Mentions "Gower Avenue", which I discovered is actually Gower Street on a trip to LA a few years ago. Street wouldn't have worked so he took a little poetic licence. Speaking of Zevon's streets, he mentions "The Strand" in Werewolves of London. He also mentions getting a dish of beef chow mein at "Lee Ho Fooks". I went to Lee Ho Fooks and they don't serve beef chow mein. Just one lie after another.

For all their talent, they do seem to lack a cutting edge.

A real toss-up between Bellingham and Foden as to which one can best constantly bitch and moan.

That's a lovely goal, as goals go. See what happens when you actually have the ball in your possession and try to do things with it.

Turkey introducing export restrictions on goods to Israel. China, on the other hand, is selling Israel 40,000 tents so they can move some of the residents of Rafah into the desert while they destroy the city and kill whoever's left inside.

Could've called it "Upstairs Downstairs".

What's next? Porridge that's too hot? too cold?

I'm enjoying the production, but the story is both boring and ridiculous, two episodes in. I'll probably stick with it, but it better pick up soon.

The Conservative Party here in Canada self-destructed in the 1990s: from 150 seats and government to 2 seats and oblivion. It took them thirteen years, the absorption of a right-wing off-shoot and the removal of the word "Progressive" from their official name, but they re-coagulated and got back into government. They're odds-on favourite to form the next, as well. And they're not our "naturally-governing party"--with roots in every aspect of government structure and extensive ties to business and the media--as the Conservatives are yours. I doubt they're going anywhere on anything but a temporary basis. (Interestingly, the Liberals, the party that usually governs us, during those thirteen years adopted some of the right-wing policies that split the conservatives, including our version of austerity, and set the country up to weather the storm of '08 much better than most countries.)

Thirty years ago. I remember distinctly the feeling of optimism I felt when the Berlin Wall fell (along with surrounding events). And then the despair as five years later we sat and watched this happen. We're good at sitting and watching.

VAR: "Headed, for me. Possible foul on defender." Ref: "No. Not for me, mate." VAR: "Checking for possible penalty." Ref: "Yeah. I think the ball is in the middle and he just tries to play the ball and there might be some contact." VAR: "OK. So that angle's good. Can you just go slowly, I just want to establish if... So, there is clear contact on the ball by Doku. So here's the ball and then there's a coming together. "Just give me one more that shows Mac Allister coming in. He turns his body." RO: "What do you want to see, sorry?" VAR: "Yeah, so he plays the ball. The ball's high, they both come in high. I don't think there's enough evidence there for a penalty kick. You happy with that?" AVAR: "Let's have a look, mate. Just showing it on broadcast as well. Here we go." VAR: "He plays the ball." AVAR: "Are you happy he definitely plays it?" VAR: "He's definitely touched it. Mac Allister's then coming into his space. Mac Allister turns his back into him, it's a coming together. Ollie [Michael Oliver, the ref] confirm on-field decision of play on. Check is complete, check is complete." What did Howard Webb say about the incident? Michael Owen (presenter): "Was this a penalty? I thought it sort of wasn't at the start. I see it again and I'm thinking it is. I'm really 50-50 on it." Howard Webb: "You're not alone, this has split a lot of opinion. It's one of those, for sure, if it was given on-field it would have been a check complete by the VAR, and equally having not giving it, it is also a check complete. "You hear Michael Oliver saying the ball is in between and two players going together. "The ball is too low to head. Doku lifts his foot to play the ball and he does make contact on the ball. Yes, we know there is contact on Mac Allister as well. As Mac Allister comes in, he is not playing the ball either. "I understand why it has split opinion. I think it would have been check complete either way, not wanting to re-ref the games in situations that are not really clear which is what we think VAR is for. "In this situation VAR stays out of it and that is what we would expect."

Him getting a touch only works if the ref doesn't give the penalty, as an after-the-fact excuse to cover their own asses. Not enough to create an obvious error and trigger an over-rule. It leaves a massive hole in the rules, and the integrity of the sport.

175 million, without even knowing what the process was. All in a bid to get his name in the national news. Trump seems to have the ability to appeal to both stupidity and hubris in equal measure.

Needs more Hendersonian grimace.

They're still proposing the relocation of over a million people from Rafah to tents in the desert north of the city so they can go in and destroy whatever's left, and kill whoever's left. But hopefully the reaction to these latest murders will lead them to decide not to murder another ten or twenty thousand innocent people.

hahahahaha

They'll start buying both.