American Assassin

An enjoyable film. There was a glaring continuity error with the beach scene with the same man waking past in the same manner in different shots (I missed the others as I got into the film).  I had tried to watch it before, but my daughter got annoyed as she wanted to watch it.  Sadly my son did not join the rest of us.  Even Leia watched it, though that was the scene with the dogs to be fair.

It is not deep, it is not thought provoking, but it is a good action film, one I consider to be more enjoyable than the Mission Impossible sequels.

Anyway, it took me away from the disappointment of Arsenal losing.  I watched the highlights before I went to bed.  While some would say we should do better, we did almost win a penalty before a bizarre offside decision.  I doubt we are going to qualify for Europe next season and our perception of being a big six club is going to be in jeopardy.

PMQ's and the Tories defending toxic masculinity

I did not get to listen to PMQ's properly as I was working at the vaccination hub yesterday and had a Teams meeting during it.  So I listened to it afterwards.

The main issue with it is Tory Sleaze.  James Dyson had asked about tax exemptions when it came to providing ventilators for the UK last year.  The Conservatives moved quickly to ensure that this took place and considering the danger that the UK was facing, ensuring that we had the ventilators that we thought might be needed was the right thing to do.  The issue with this was the way the communications took place without a record being made and how it only came to light when the text messages where 'found' by the BBC.  For the record, due to the pandemic, I have no issues with the tax exemptions being provided to a millionaire who is a Tory party donor.  I just feel that the communication should have been documented in a clear manner.

The issue of preferential access in a manner not subject to scrutiny has been present with David Cameron asking for favours, and of course

There was the issues as well with contracts for PPE being handed out.  The government were right to act quickly to obtain PPE for the nation, but they were wrong to give the contracts just to friends and donors.  Especially when the PPE obtained was substandard and how the lack of decent PPE cost lives.

There is an issue about how Matt Hancock has shares in a company that tenders services to the NHS, but working in the NHS, I am aware that a blind process to evaluate bids is often used, and if this process was followed, I have no issues with Matt Hancock owning these shares.  So long as the correct processes were followed.

Boris has stated in his response to the questions by Keir Starmer that the Conservatives get on with making the tough decisions to save our nation.  While they have obtained the vaccines our nation needs, they have also allowed many to die of COVID and the mistakes that they made with PPE, which have benefitted donors and friends has already been mentioned.

Boris talks about tougher sentences for rapists and violent criminals, avoiding how the Conservative voted against a register for stalkers and domestic abusers.

He also mentions action taken on the European Super League, forgetting that Labour called for action first.

A shame that Boris Johnson is not held to account though on the claims he has made by the media though.  But that is not surprising.

Line Of Duty and the Mexican Standoff

 

Oh my god, what an ending to the episode.  I love shows by Jed Mercurio and this is one of many that I am a fan of.  I say I, this is something my wife and I love and are hooked on.  We are being left guessing as to the identity of H and like the rest of the Line Of Duty watching population, we have no idea who is going to be alive next week...

And we meet again

We have met up with people!  Yesterday we had Isobel and Tony round for a meet up.  It was great for my wife to see people face to face.  Do not get me wrong, it was great to see the two for me, but I have the advantage at work of being able to chat with people I like.  My wife has more issues with those at her work and also is more of a social animal than me who is more introverted.  Lockdown and social isolation have not been good for her as she does thrive meeting people.  

I had spend yesterday in the day mowing the lawn.  I was to try to take down the playhouse my children have had for years, but I did not get the time to do so.  I guess if I had pushed myself harder, I could have done it, but I was tired from a hard week at work (not as hard as my first week back though).  I have been racking up the miles walking Leia, who Isobel and Tony loved, but have not been on my bike as much as I would like.

The kids are doing well, my daughter is preparing for her Religious Education GCSE and my son is back to working and doing well in his assessments as well as meeting up with friends on a face to face basis.  

Anyway, I need to get to doing some paperwork so I will sign off for today.

RIP Phil The Greek

I am sure that there will be some who are offended by the title of this post.

But, despite his racist comments (which I suspect were not meant to cause as much offence as they did), I do think that it is important to remember what this man, an immigrant to our nation, did for it.

He was a war hero serving, like many (Ralph Miliband included) during World War Two.  In wartime, promoting an officer beyond their ability means death, and this was the case during the Second World War.

He created the Duke of Edinburgh awards and I know people who are grateful for the opportunities this offered to those who would not have had them.  

He was not perfect, but he reflects the multicultural heritage of our nation.  His son, the man who is most likely to be the next Monarch is the son of an immigrant, an issue that The Far Right cannot be seen to be against, despite the hostility seen towards those from Eastern Europe.

Left Behind

Do not watch this film.  It is awful.  It has to be compared to This Is The End which is a much better film.

It has terrible effects, matched only by the way this film is put together. This Is The End has much more humour, and horror, as well as decent acting.

The premise of both is the end of the world, and the higher power lifting up the souls of those worthy.  While This Is The End focuses on good deeds, this focuses on belief in Jesus being our saviour.  From a philosophical standpoint, it seems to indicate that all Christians go to heaven, be they Catholic, Mormon etc, which leads to the question of does it matter which branch of Christianity a person belongs to?  In the film, it does not matter if a heathen is a good person or not as they will not ascend to heaven, as seen with a Muslim man on the plane.  One woman, who unknowingly is having an affair with a married man, saves others.  True it is part of her job, but would that not deserve recognition by a higher power? Or those working in a hospital where one scene of the film is set (or even those working in the police or ambulance services).  

There is only one target audience for this film, that being Christians, and I am sure many would not like this film anyway.

Do COVID vaccines work?

The answer to this question is yes and no.

Tucker Carlson, the man who has spread racist conspiracy theories, has questioned why, if the vaccines work, we have to use face masks.  

He has raised concerns about vaccines, but has stated an opinion that will sway people towards not getting vaccinated.

First of all, he is right in that there may be more blood clots than science is aware of associated with vaccination of COVID.  Governments taking action to look at this in more detail is not hiding an issue (which he has claimed), but rather is taking appropriate action.

He also has asked why people have to wear masks even if they have been vaccinated suggesting that the vaccines may not work.  A man of his supposed intelligence either knows the answer, or he is just not that smart.  No vaccine is 100% effective, and this is the case with COVID vaccinations, being both after one or two doses.  Also when it comes to variants, we know that the current vaccinations are not as effective against them as we would like.  We do not know how long immunity from vaccination will last as well.

So does being vaccinated against any illness offer a 100% success that the recipient is immune?  No.  And this is also the case with vaccines targeting COVID.

Does vaccination against COVID work to save lives?  Yes.

Thanks to Tucker Carlson, there will be more people not being vaccinated.  Some of them will catch COVID and die and some will catch COVID and spread it to others who will die.