28 weeks later

I have to say, that other than two big plot holes, this film was okay. I doubt I am going to watch it again though. Compared to the Night of the Living Dead, this falls short, but it is okay for a Zombie plague film.  I have been watching the series The Last Of Us with my daughter and the human side of the apocalypse is presented much better there.

The film however has its good points. I am always a sucker for films set in London. And for those who watched the first film and enjoyed how the army decimated zombies, watching the same again, but on a larger scale would have appealed to them.

It has some great scenes, notably the helicopter in Regents Park, but the two plot holes I do not like are how one character had a security pass, and how Scarlet was able to outrun zombies despite her wound.

But as I said, I will not be watching this again. 

JK Rowling and censorship

As time goes on, I find that the radicalisation of JK Rowling has made her less appealing to me.  As posted before, while I agree with many of her views, her insistence on misgendering people, is rude and I find myself disagreeing with her more often. 

Like her, I do not consider Transwomen to be women, any more than I consider Rachel Dolezal or Ali G to be black, even though they identify as so.  For the record, while I know it is considered transphobic by many, I consider transwomen to be transwomen, and then I subdivide them into those with or without a penis. Due to this view, others consider me to be transphobic, and I accept that label, though I do so reluctantly.

Anyway, back to the reason for this post. A bookshop has made the news for censoring JK Rowling. It has chosen to do so due to her support for certain legal cases and her views on certain aspects of transgender rights. It has every right to do so and continues the tradition of censorship of her work which precedes her essay, when those on the religious right wanted to restrict access to her books.  Book burning took place back then and has continued since. In fact she topped a leaderboard for censorship attempts befoe…

It is interesting how many tran-rights activists who disagree with JK Rowling now agree with some religious groups that censorship is needed.  The ultimate irony of course being that JK Rowling would decline to censor those who disagree with her on transgender issues even if she had the power. 

Farage and helping the rich

This week, Nigel Farage has proposed a policy to help the rich.  Not the poor, the super rich.  To be fair, I do think that his plan the Britannia Card, has some merit, but I think that the fee that he suggests the rich pay is way to small.

While ideally I would like the super rich to be taxed more, when nations do that, they leave. Nations have agreed on coordination on this, but later, not now.

Keir Starmer, Palestine Action and terrorism

The past record of Starmer as a lawyer is being used against him.  This time, by the left.  He has had his past work used by those on the right in the past, those on the right pointing out that he had represented Abu Qatada but forgetting that he did so due to the 'cab rank rule' before he started to prosecute terrorists.  Now the left are doing the same when it comes to the actions of Palestine Action.  

While there is debate as to if the actions of Palestine Action should be considered terrorism, an overlooked issue is how much force should be used to defend bases.  It is thought that Russia is launching attacks on logistic centres across Europe.  While some on the left and the right will deny this, the simple fact that a lot of arson has taken place.  

So while I think that it is wrong to consider Palestine Action to be terrorists, I do think that those who carry out such actions should also face the risk of being shot when on a base.  While it was protestors this week, looking at what has already taken place in the UK and more recently, Germany, it can be Russian agents next time. 

Starmer and supporting the USA when it attacked Iran

People have been complaining that Starmer has either not shown the USA enough support in attacking Iran, or has shown too much.

If Starmer backed the USA striking Iran, he would have allowed them to launch the attacks from Diego Garcia, the joint base in The Indian Ocean. He did not and the attack therefore involved the bombers taking off from the USA. 

When Starmer calls for Iran to negotiate with the USA, he also is stating that he expects the US to engage with Iran if Iran takes up this call. This is a call made by other leaders as well. 

LGB rights

As posted before, I am a transphobe.  At least I am deemed so by many. My children, who are aware of my concerns disagree but I see them flinch if I talk about LGB rights as they want me to include the T.

Like JK Rowling, I think that Transgender people exist. I want them to have many rights protected. I do not believe that people should be murdered just for being Transgender. I agree with the Supreme Court ruling about biological sex, but disagree with some aspects of how it is being interpreted, such as with segregated toilets. I do not think anyone with a penis should be allowed to change in communal areas for women. However, I do not consider a transwoman to be a woman. I accept that they are biologically a man and that they deserve many of the rights of a woman, but not all. Due to my view that Transwomen are transwomen and not men, this puts me on the transphobic side of this debate. That and agreeing that more research needs to be done on children who wish to transition also means that I am guilty of transphobia.

I don’t want to be lumped with people who refuse to respect pronouns (which now includes JK Rowling) or deem transgender individuals as being mentally ill. I do think that more research is needed about treating children with puberty blockers and surgery, but I do not agree with any outright ban which forbids this research. But I accept how many will group me with others because of this.

The attack on Iran by Israel and the USA has divided social media. Many are on one side or the other. As I have posted before, I consider both nations to be vile, Iran being the more reprehensible until Israel overtook them with the mass-murder of civilians in Gaza. 

One aspect of this is with rights for transgender people. Iran, unlike many other Muslim countries, recognises that some people are not going to be binary. Some argue that it is better for transgender people to live in Iran than in the UK. They forget two things. One is the oppression and the death penalty for LGB individuals. The other is the second class status of women and the way the Morality Police ensure that women dress in an appropriate manner.

So, Iran offers people the right to transition to women to be treated equally as other women, who are not treated equally! 

See You Next Tuesday

There is an interesting swear word which many women are offended by, but I think is a good thing. Calling someone a cunt to me means that the person has warmth, depth and gives pleasure. It is a good thing, not a bad word and people need to remember that. In fact, a while ago my daughter called me one during a heated argument and I thanked her for the compliment. 

Saying that, there is one exception which is celebrated by many who loathed (or in my case, still loathe) him.  

I Give It a Year

During our weekend away, we started to watch, but did not complete two films. One was Priscilla (which I am going to have to watch again) and the other was Four Weddings and a Funeral. While my son and wife went to bed, I got my daughter to watch I Give It a Year. I had watched it many years ago and I remember liking it, I forgot how much.

Generally rom-coms are not my ideal film. They are okay, some are excellent, but they are not films I tend to go out of my way to watch. This is different. Which means, if you like your normal romantic comedy, this is not for you. Rather, this is more of a male version of one. I would certainly watch this again and I have recommended it someone and I have shown them the worst best man’s speech I have ever seen on celluloid. If you like The Office (I mean the UK version as I have not watched the US copy properly) then the odds are that you will like this. While The Guardian gave this three out of five, I would rate this a solid four. 

Resting at home

It is time to rest as we are back to reality. After leaving our cottage, my daughter and I went for a dog walk while my wonderful wife and son went shopping. We met up with them and while I rested and rehydrated, my daughter joined them. On the way down to Colchester, we visited Pinch, which was a small but much appreciated detour. Anyway, I have ironed, walked the dog and assuming the heat lets up, am ready for work tomorrow. 

The Suffolk, Aldeburgh

We returned to a place we have eaten as a family before. My wife loves it here and the food is great. The service is brilliant, friendly and attentive, and the views from the top bar are fantastic, if you are facing the right way! I did get to go for a walk, but my daughter was in a bad mood. Fortunately it improved but part of it was not being able to walk on the shingle because I had wrong the wrong shoes. I did get to do so later, but she had not accompanied the dog and me for the nighttime walk. 

The Lighthouse

We are in Suffolk. My wife has booked a few days away and rented a charming cottage for us. I already feel relaxed, the children and the dog like it here and we have just got back from a meal. I did not like mine as much as the rest of the family, but it was an enjoyable night out for all. Leia was surprised to find that she had he option to sit next to me, but she preferred to spread out on the floor. We have another night here and I am looking forwards to going to the beach tomorrow! 

Trumps birthday

I know it has been a since since the big day for Trump, sorry, the birthday of the US army, but this was an interesting video to post.  I am not listening to what people are saying about the crowd size as to quote Taylor Swift, haters gonna hate.  

What was interesting is this video about the marching, or the lack of it.  Considering Trump wanted this parade after watching the Bastille Day celebrations in France, it is surprising that he did not insist on any pageantry. 

Israel attacking Iran

After the appalling October 7th attacks of 2023, despite concerns that Israel had been annexing land in The West Bank along with killing Palestinians, let alone the way Israel treated Gaza, the nations of Europe offered Israel support as the attacks continued. However, Israel went beyond what was deemed acceptable and the ICC issued arrest warrants for some on both sides.

Any moral high ground that Israel could claim was lost when it unilaterally decided to get the USA to renegotiate the ceasefire which had been agreed, a ceasefire which members of its governing coalition wanted to break anyway. 

So now Israel has attacked Iran, many are picking a side to back. I consider both governments to be vile and while I would have rated Iran as being the most reprehensible before, now it is Israel, but only just. The UK has not offered the level of support that it gave when Iran responded to an Israeli attack on its citizens last year, and for that I am glad. I would like the UK to cease all cooperation with Israel now, other than the manufacture of F35 parts (some of which are used in Israeli fighters). 

It will be interesting to see how the electorate of Israel will judge Benjamin Netanyahu and if they see how he has thrown away most of the goodwill that Israel was given after October the 7th. 

Is sorry the hardest word for Elon Musk?

Apparently, Elon Musk's company is being sued by some Telsa owners in France because his actions have caused their cars to be viewed as a symbol of the far right and have depreciated in value.  

What is interesting is the way he has offered an apology to Donald Trump, but has not apologised to owners of his cars, many of whom, being concerned about the environment, tend to be left wing.  I have an electric car and would have been tempted to by a Tesla, before he went right wing, not just because of the features, but because of the charging network.  In the UK it is better than that for my kind of EV, though I have to say, the availability of charging stations is increasing. I have even recommended them to a friend who travels a lot in their job, due to the charging network.  They declined to do so, and left Twitter before I did.  But now, I would not recommend Tesla.  Not just because of their owner, but also there are lots of competitors now and the charging network for normal EV's is better.

But, when it comes to Musk, considering the views of his father on certain matters, I am not sure if his views will change so that Tesla is considered the go-to-car for those on the left.

Fear and loathing in LA

Rioting in a democratic nation is wrong. It harms the community where it takes place and people can take advantage of the situation to loot. What is happening in LA is wrong. What is also wrong are the lies being spread by the Trump administration about this. Lies have involved the President of Mexico and of course Trump himself. He has said that the demonstrators have been paid to protest and bricks have been left out for them to riot with. This was after he congratulated the National Guard for calming things in LA before they actually arrived at the riots! 

It has been hard on the people of LA. But the LAPD are going to be under scrutiny for what they have done. Not just shooting journalists, but brutality against civilians. There are times that a journalist will be hit by accident, but the video above shows just how far over the line some police have stepped. 

It also shows us the restraint shown by UK police during the Farage Riots of last year! 

Londonistan, the reality

I have been having a “debate” with someone on Twitter who has referred to London being run by Jihadists and Islamists. I say debate, they just spam stuff, but they have learned not to broach certain topics.  

Listening to BBC PM today, I have listened to a representative of Israel say that “The streets of London are succumbing to Jihad” when asked about the sanctions being placed on two members of the Israeli government. This no doubt relates to London having a Muslim mayor and he is not the only one to spread lies like this. 

Just a few things, I can drink alcohol in London. There is Old Compton Street where people are openly gay (attacked by The Far Right in the past) and of course there is London Fashion Week. I suspect that none of this can take place in Kabul and I don’t know how Gay Pride can take place in London if  “the streets of London are succumbing to Jihad.” 

If you want to listen to the words, it is eight minutes into the show. Last of all, while some call London a poo hole, this video from the USA demonstrates an issue I have never encountered in London! 

The Phoenician Scheme

My wife and I watched this last night. Our daughter has been incapacitated with a viral infection and our son changed his mind about watching it at the last moment. So we watched it together.  I think that my wife liked it more than I did. This is a film I will not be watching again. I liked the way it was shot, but ultimately, if I am going to watch an art house film, I will stick to European ones which do it so much better (an example of this was seen with the series, Drops of God). 

In fact, if you are not sure about watching it, save time and money and watch the trailer which has a lot of the funny bits from the film in it. But as you can see from below, others do like the film.