I saw Americans Fighting

Pete Hegseth made a joke about how NATO forces (and those of other nations) acted in Afghanistan. Needless to say, this is not appreciated by nations who lost soldiers serving. In my job I have encountered many a former veteran who served in Afghanistan, including one who did so serving there for the USSR! One person I have met has major life changing injuries as a result of life there. Sadly, many Americans will believe this lie. 

As noted in the video below, a refusal to accept the sacrifices made will mean that nations will be less likely to help America again. The video is not completely accurate. Georgia was invaded twice by Russia the video forgetting the invasion of the 1990’s. And the reason that NATO members have not aided Israel and the USA in The Epstein War against Iran is because it has no proper goals (other than working to distract people from Trump being in The Epstein Files) and has no legal or moral basis. 

Back from Bristol

We are back at home after an enjoyable by exhausting long weekend in Bristol.  

Over our time there we had some great food. But sadly, I was not able to taste it and therefore not appreciate it like the others.  I suspect I have had COVID recently as my smell has also changed. But despite this, it was great for us all (without the dog) being together for a few days.

Masters of the Universe

I was expecting this film to be terrible. It was not.  However, I can see why The Guardian rated it two out of five, but I honestly think it was better than that. When it comes to the plot making sense it was overdone at times or just made little sense, an example of which is keeping a lot of prisoners locked up with a tiger for over a decade. But, at least for the first part of the film, it was fun. It was so much better than the version from the 1980’s, but I do like the link it had to it.

If you want to relax with a fun film where you switch your brain off, this is worthwhile. Despite the fact that it has a very generic story at times, I liked it. My son is interested in watching it and I am hoping I get to watch it with him. It may be appreciated more in years to come. 

Russia has helped Iran kill American soldiers. Should Trump thank Putin?

The USA has agreed a deal to buy Russian diesel and has cut the aid it gives to Ukraine, both by warning when Russia is launching a missile attack, but also placing limits on Starlink.

What is interesting is how the American public appear to be fine with the way that Trump is helping a nation that has aided Iran in killing Americans in the Middle East. 

Russia and Brexit

The Prime Minister spoke on The Rest is Politics, a podcast that I listen to, saying that Russia interfered in the EU referendum on Brexit.  Despite the outcry over this, he is right. 

This does not invalidate the outcome.  Russia has interfered in many elections, not just in the UK.  

In 2017, The Times reported that Russian Twitter accounts promoted Brexit ahead of the referendum.

In 2018, the Guardian revealed that the Leave.EU campaign met Russian officials as many as eleven times. The US Senate also prepared a report detailing how Russia worked to promote Brexit.  

In 2020, The Russia Report was published, which despite the allegations and evidence, deliberately did not look at Russian meddling in the Brexit vote. 

Livestreaming American morality

The USA have decided to execute a mass shooter by firing squad.  He was serving as a US major at the time in 2009 and I do not have an issue with him facing the death penalty (he would have known he might face this if he survived) or even a firing squad.  

I think that it is insane for the USA to livestream it.  I suspect that US citizens abroad will face an increased danger of being abducted to have the same "punishment” meted out by people who pervert Islam to justify hatred. We have seen how Unislamic State have live-streamed executions before. I hope I am wrong about this and that innocents are not abducted and murdered because of this.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle

I doubt that I will watch this again. Based on a book, I suspect that the film is aimed at those who have read it. When it comes to direction, the film flows well, I have no concerns with the standard of acting and you do feel for the characters. But as a film, the film is ponderous and slow. I would not have paid to watch it in the cinema and would have been disappointed if I had.  However, based on the film, I suspect that the book is as good as the reviews (see earlier links) say it is.

As for yesterday, it was a slow day. I have had a few days away from work and today I felt the benefits of taking things easy. We took our son to Gaia, had a brilliant brunch, but then I spent the day ferrying the family about. While not exciting, it was what I needed. My son and wife went to a Jo Malone evening in town, my wife also went to book club and while she was away I bonded with my son by taking him to ASDA. I am feeling my stress reduce and am glad of the day. 

Barbie and Maria Elia

First of all, the film. I am not going to watch Barbie ever again. If I remember right, my daughter was not impressed by it when she watched it.  In fact, it has mixed reviews, some liking it more than others.

Like many films with a lot of hype, it had a lot to live up to. But I am not its target audience. It is aimed at teaching/reminding women and girls across the globe that it is okay for women to be different and that they can do what men do.  Watching it how also is more interesting with the outcry over how the poor woman from Cornell has been treated. Barbieland, a place where women make the rules is discriminatory to men, but even then is not as bad as our world is to women. A more serious film would not have had the appeal this has had, and this means that the message which it did give has a wider reach than otherwise. If a sequel is released, I suspect I will not be bothered to watch it.

Anyway, time with my wife. We went to a meal hosted by Maria Elia. She has events hosted on her property and this is the second that we have been to. Like before, this was amazing. We met a lovely couple while waiting for it to start. The only downside of the event being how the weather changed to being seasonal and therefore cold. They did have a fire-pit, but being fussy, maybe two would have been better. That is the only negative about the evening. The food was awesome, and at the table, as before, we were fortunate with the company we had. The lady I sat next to knew Maria Elia and had cooked for her in her home. My wife had fun with the couple next to her. As the lady I was sitting next to said, a meal is not just about the food, she was right and she, along with my wife and Maria Elia (who signed her books) made it such a fabulous night. 

The October 7th attacks

It is strange to post on this the day after the anniversary of the attacks but this way I can reflect on the coverage.  Let me say that while Israel has every right to defend itself and retaliate against attacks against it, it has been too heavy handed by essentially levelling Gaza, increasing its ethnic cleansing of The West Bank as well as its actions in Lebanon.

I understand the desire of Palestinians to strike back against the oppressive rule of Netanyahu, one of the chants I do not engage with on the Sunday weekly protest (when I attend) refers to the right to resist. The October 7th attacks, while genius in the way they were carried out, were a war crime against civilians and had to be punished (within the remit of international law). It was not just the targeting of civilians, it was the atrocities carried out during the attacks. They had tried to do things peacefully, and after coming to an internationally acclaimed agreement, Israel ignored it. 

But the actions of the Israeli government have been inexcusable. There are too many crimes resulting in death in Gaza as a result of this. While Israel claims that the IDF takes every precaution to avoid civilian deaths, two examples show just how much of a lie this is. One is the killing of some escaped hostages by the IDF who had a white flag. The IDF only investigated this once their identities were discovered and if not, they would have been labelled terrorists and the way they were killed would never have been looked at. The other is the ambush, murder and attempted disposal of evidence when Palestinian paramedics were killed by the IDF which had to keep changing its story as more evidence came out.

In The West Bank, IDF soldiers stand by while the violence of “settlers” continues, essentially enabling civilians to carry out ethnic cleansing. 

Sadly, too many people appear to turn a blind eye to the horrors inflicted by Hamas, or the current Israeli government. 

So, in summary:

I believe in the right of Israel and Palestine to exist honouring the Oslo Accords (but with West Bank settlements coming under Palestinian rule).

Israel has the right to defend itself against attacks from Gaza and Lebanon 

The blockade of Gaza by Israel before the attacks was illegal 

The ethnic cleansing of the West Bank before and since October 7th is a violation of international law

The response of Israel to the attacks by Hamas and Hezbollah has been disproportionate and both should be investigated as the war crimes they are.

Battlestar Galactica: The Plan

I had not realised that I had missed this when watching the series. I found it by accident, this being released after the remake series finished. 

I loved the original series. As bad as it was it was great for the child that I was back then. The remake series was great.  It is not a brilliant film, it is made for fans of the remake series and I doubt it has any appeal to anyone who has not watched it. Watching a film about genocide today was in hindsight, surreal. 

For me it was good to watch it again. But I would not recommend it to anyone who has not watched the remake series. I do think that there were some plot holes, but not having watched the series for many years, I cannot be certain. 

Suella Braverman had better tell the England team that they have players who should not be part of the team

Suella Braverman is an interesting person.  I have discussed nationality before and sadly it is time to do so again.  She is right to state that she is not ethnically English.  But she should also be clear that she is English.  I am biased over this.  As an Arsenal fan, we have had many a player who represents our country who is not white. Bukayo Saka is one of several Arsenal players who play for England but are not white.  If Suella Braverman had her way, a lot of the England team would not have played against Croatia on Saturday.  Something many Croatian fans would have been pleased about. 

The bottom line is that there are some people who do not consider King Charles to be British because his father is considered Greek.  I am glad that they are not applying double standards, but it does show how silly they are to hold such views.

Toy Story 5

My wife and I have just watched this.  Our son made a choice not to do so, he stated that he is too old for this.  Which has been a theme for several of the films in the series.  

I did enjoy the film.  It was lovable, but parts of me were annoyed, notably by battery life and toys being waterproof.  (Sorry about the spoilers.)  It was great to watch it with my wife however, as it brought back shared memories of our children, including how my son played with a box with wheels on over his actual toy cars once.  While it is the worst film in the series, it is still a good film to watch.  I would possibly watch it again, but overall, I am glad we watched it at home instead of in the cinema.

It turns out that I am a racist

There has been an interesting proposal from the Green Party.  Let me say that although I am not a Jew, I can be considered to be a Zionist as I support a two state solution, which means that I want a Palestinian State to exist alongside Israel.

My view is that the Oslo Peace Accords should be honoured and that any settlements in The West Bank should be transferred to be administered by the Palestinian Authority. 

I guess it all comes down to what people consider to be Zionism.  Despite the claims in the video below (if it works), there are Israeli's who want a two state solution. 

The team which rhymes with City

Manchester City have been found wanting.  Concerns have been present for some time and a decision has been made.  

I am sure that there are to be legal appeals, but fans of other teams are celebrating that justice appears to have been done.  

Personally, I feel that they should face a points deduction, one point for each infringement, but with the option of spreading this across ten years.  Which would mean a ten point deduction this season if they took this up.  Or they can take it now, but that would mean demotion at the end of the season but due to the number of infringements, that should mean a demotion of more than one league placement. I would favour to the old third division, which means League One.

I did try to share a video at work about this, but I did not realise that Paddy Power have two of them.  One in English, one in Arabic.

Toy Story 4

Toy Story 5 is out and I could not remember watching this before.  But I had.  I have watched recap's for Toy Story 3, as it was a long time ago.  I have to day that it was a good film.  Not as good as the original, it still has the magic of the original.  It was well worth watching and is a film that I would certainly watch again.  

Best of the Best

Our son recommended that we watch this yesterday. He does not make too many requests so we listened to him. He has been unwell over the last few days. So when my wife and I travelled to London, we did not take him with us when we popped into see my mother.  She was sad that he was not with us, but understood that he needed to rest.  

We had intended to travel earlier in the day, but got caught up in traffic for the Spurs game. I know a few people who went to it, so I had to look at the result before Arsenal played. I laughed, but little did I know that would jinx us in our kick off. Arsenal, in the last few seasons, had a habit of dropping points if ahead in the table and playing an early kick off. This time we were level on points with the team that rhymes with City, but dropped points. I think that all would agree that Brighton deserved to win. Our son will be there next year as he will be going to The University of Sussex and he did watch the game with me. Hopefully he will end up an Arsenal fan though.

Anyway, back to the film. I will admit, I expected it to be terrible. I did wonder how they got so much set up with props, but the film was enjoyable. We all were glad to watch it, but I do not see me watching it again. 

Will Donald Trump copy Putin?

Elections for the Russian parliament are to take place. In two months time, elections will be taking place in America, the mid-terms where voters will get to decide if they want to stick with the party of high inflation, or the radical [insert Trump insult] Democrats. It is widely predicted that the Republicans are going to face a kicking in the elections. Trump has said different things about the state of the economy, including blaming (sleepy) Joe Biden as well as saying outright lies about petrol prices in the USA. He has even promised a handout to voters if they vote for him, legal, but something he has promised before.

Trump has been trying different ways to “prevent election fraud” and it will be interesting to see what his reactions to what will happen in Russia during these elections will be.  I may be being unfair to Putin and Russia, but they have form when it comes to fixing other elections. A famous image involves Russian votes adding up to 146%, but apparently this was a genuine mistake when reporting the 2011 elections as opposed to fraud. The same cannot be said for an election in 2012 when one electoral district had a 107% voter turnout, strangely the same district having a huge number of votes for Putin.  I hope that the elections in the USA and Russia will be free and fair. I suspect only one will be, but I will have to admit that I cannot be as optimistic about that as I was two years ago.

Practical Magic 2

My wife and I went to watch this film this week. We have been looking forwards to it after watching the first one, well to be fair, she had been looking forwards to it for longer. I did not think it would be as good as the sequel, and it was not. 

Some parts were great, the two main characters are amazing with each other, but other parts annoyed me, not the timeline, but certain issues with how the daughters were written.  Despite that, I am glad I watched it, not just because I did so with my wife, but I do think it was an okay film and I would watch it again.

If you don’t want spoilers, stop reading now. I do have a gripe with the UK being quaint, and the bus which was used to transport Kylie is not one I have seen in use for a long time. Likewise the train used by the main characters features rolling stock from a museum, one which I now want to visit. My main issue was with how the daughters went from not using their latent magic powers (which come out at times with their mother) to being able to use them in the blink of an eye. That is probably me being grumpy because those powers were not a major issue in the film and also were reminders of what happened in the original. Maybe I need to cheer up. 

Sydney Sweeney does it again

I have grown to like and admire Sydney Sweeney. I first saw her in White Lotus and hated her character (which you are meant to) but was won over by other performances, including The Handmaids Tale.  

But she appears to have embraced controversy.  She, like many, has implied who she votes for, and this is offended many.  But her adverts have been more interesting with the outrage.  The video about genes 1s not about eugenics and the video "about sports" is actually about betting.  I think it is awesome.  It is targeted at men and if not for the controversy, just like with American Eagle, I would never have heard about Novig. But as much as I like her two adverts, I love the spoof by Nerine Skinner more. 

Ed Sheeran being shot as the messenger

I like Ed Sheeran.  I think that he has ended up being the fall guy over the latest controversy. In summary, after a support act made a statement on stage in support of Palestine, he was given an ultimatum, to drop the act or else.  He did, and others have dropped him.  He was forced to be in a position where he could disappoint fans or allow them to listen to his music.

I think that people, who like me, are in favour of a Free Palestine, should direct our ire at the owners of the concert venues.  They are the ones who made this happen, and artists should boycott their venues until they allow civil free speech.