Novaria Media and the threat of Russia

I like Novara Media.  They provide a different view of the world, one which is interesting, though not one I always agree with.  But they are biased and this video is an example of that.

People forget the aggression of Russia towards its neighbours. At the end of The Cold War, a peace dividend took place. Following German unification, NATO promised no further Eastern expansion, but then Russia invaded Moldova and Georgia to "liberate" Transnistria and Abkhazia, both of which happened to have large Russian populations. After seeing this, other former Warsaw Pact nations wanted to join NATO.  We have seen expansion continue with Sweden and Finland joining NATO following the second invasion of Ukraine by Russia.

So while Novara Media has a paranoid view of the threat of war, they forget that Russia has been the aggressor.  Many may cite the actions of the west in Kosovo, Lybia, Iraq and Afghanistan, but none of those military interventions were acts of colonisation to recreate an empire.  

Do They Know It's Christmas Time

Football chants have always been rude, but there have to be limits.  Arsenal won against Everton, keeping my dream of a title intact.  (I am sure that The Team That Rhymes With City will overtake us.)  The chant of the travelling supporters at the Hill Dickinson Stadium though was too much in a time of food poverty.

Please Stand By

 I liked this film. I watched it because of its connection to Star Trek, a series that appeals to my autistic traits.  In fact, I included information that a person liked Star Trek as supporting information to try to help someone get a diagnosis of Autism.

Basically, this is a film that can show the challenges faced by those with autism can face. There are those who are affected in worse ways, just as there are many who are now getting a diagnosis who are not as affected.

The film flowed well but the main attraction is the way Dakota Fanning played the main character.  I am glad I watched it and I would recommend it to any who wish to learn a little bit about the condition.

Death of a Unicorn

We watched this yesterday and my son stayed for all of it. As a family we really liked it. My wife made a comment about the CGI, something mentioned in The Guardian review, but that paper did not like as much as we did. 

I would have to agree that it has a predictable plot and the characters are stereotyped, but the strength of the film is in how it is put together. The characters are not overdone as in many films that try to be like this. The other strength is how twisted it is.  While many will find the black humour to be too bleak, we all found it hilarious. 

I doubt we will ever watch it again, but I am glad we did so, not just because we watched it as a family, but because it was a good film. 

Oh. What. Fun.

This is an unexpectedly good Christmas film. It is one where the viewer gets a chance to really appreciate why Christmas is special. The Guardian did not appreciate it, but I do think it is worth watching. I do not think that the person who reviewed it appreciates the person who usually makes Christmas a celebration that so many enjoy.

It has reminded me of the work my wife does now for Christmas, and what my mother did when I was younger.  Watch it, ideally in December before Christmas. 

Back from Manchester

Yesterday, I drove my son to Manchester where we booked into a hotel, met my daughter and then went to watch Lorde in concert.  Both kids loved it, my son saying he liked it more than Taylor Swift. I think it was a great concert.  The downside was that my wife had booked tickets with early entry, but two morons at the gate refused us the access she paid for.  Fortunately, it was third time lucky and while we did not get in as early as we should have, we did get in early.

I also got to meet my brother today, my daughter coming down to see him from her room, my son however was asleep.  Driving to Manchester and back in my electric car was fun.  I had to take a rest due to its range, which meant that I got to recharge at the same time as the car.  This meant that the drive was not too bad and was enjoyable.  

The drive back was slightly more stressful as the services at Keele had a slow charger, one which switched off once we went for food.  But things could have been worse.  Two young women could not find their car, having parked on the northbound services and were looking for it over the bridge on the southbound one!  Later, we had to find a charger on the A14 which was harder than it was on the A1 which had more services with charging for electric cars.  But things could have been worse.  My daughter was to get a direct train to Bristol, but that was cancelled and she had to take two trains, one part of her journey involved her sitting on the floor outside the toilets on the train!

Anyway, time to relax now...

US healthcare and the shutdown

Some may notice that I try not to post that much about US politics now Trump is in charge. He changes his mind so much that it is not worth posting. But the shutdown in the USA, or more importantly, how it has ended needs to be commented on.

The Republicans want to improve healthcare in the USA by ending subsidies to insurance companies, allowing money to go to the consumers so that they have more choice about insurance. Many think that this will mean higher costs for the consumer which means people being priced out of the market. I understand their anger. But I think that the Democrats have played this right. They have made a stand for healthcare and I honestly think when it comes to a vote, many Republican politicians will decide not vote for higher bills for voters.