G Neko

I am not sure if I have posted about this restaurant before.  My wife has been here more times than I have. As a family we love it. We came here for a meal out, also to distract my son from his examination results and we were not disappointed.

It does not look as good as it is from the outside, but this place is a hidden gem in Colchester. If anyone wants to try good food from The Orient, this is a place to visit. 

Transgender sports

Some Americans have ignited “debate” about segregation in sports.  The reason I quoted debate, is because there does not seem to be much. Many people have opted for one position or another.

As I have posted before, I am considered to be transphobic because of my views, and I thought that I would clarify my position on the matter.

It should be up to each sport to decide if they want to be inclusive of transgender individuals in sports, or if they wish to ensure that segregation takes place. I honestly believe that an open category should be made available if a sporting body wishes it to allow transgender competitors to test themselves against others. But as I have posted before, there are risks to women with inclusion of trans-women in some sports, which is why sporting bodies should be allowed to make decisions and politicians should stay out of the matter. 

Work drinks

Yesterday was a work social do. Sadly not too many people turned up. My daughter, who has been working over summer came, with our dog, who was very well behaved.

When we arrived, only two others were there and while more came, the numbers were not that big. Still we had an enjoyable time. We started at The Kings Arms and before we moved on, I took the dog home, joining the others after trying to get into the wrong pub! But as they had eaten and I had not, I went to Wendy’s and joined them again. Sadly, my daughter wanted to go home while I wanted to stay and dance, which meant that I did not enjoy the night as much as I could have.

Saying that, it was a very enjoyable day/night out. It may be better attended if we do not have it over the summer holidays, or if we try something else. When I started here, there was a bowling night out which was better attended. We may need to try that again. 

The Alma

We returned to The Alma. It has changed hands and this was our second visit since then. On the plus side, it is great to see that it is busier. The food is as good as it was before, this being the best Turkish food I have had in the UK. The downside is that the service appears to be worse, one elderly waitress disparaging the food! But it is somewhere that we will return to as it is dog friendly and while the setting could be nicer, the food is good. 

Spider-Man: Brand New Day

We watched this as a family yesterday. I have to say that I liked it, this despite the obvious plot holes.  It is a film I am glad I watched, and would watch again. Like Avengers Endgame, the gaping holes in the plot did not ruin the film. In fact, while the purist in me understands why The Guardian gave it three stars, I would rate it four out of five. 

But now for some of the big plot holes.  And these are spoilers.  Sorry.

The main one are the webs. Strong, powerful, how does he make them and/or research into them? 

How does he have access to his own AI without a data centre.

What does he do for money? You never see him working in the way the original Peter Parker did for the Daily Bugle. Unless he is living on the proceeds of crime that the criminals he apprehends have.

And the big one. Why collect one sister and not the other?

Masters of the Universe (1987 film)

This was a bad film. Not the worst that I have seen, but a bad one. I guess it was really aimed at an audience who loved the toys.  Or men with muscles. However, it is liked by some. When younger, I liked the cartoon (I am not sure if I would like them now) but never had the toys.  Mind you, I cannot remember wanting them.  For fans of Sword and Sorcery films like me, this was one of the worse ones to watch. I would not recommend watching it and I am not surprised that it did not fare well when it was released.  

Despite the bad reviews, I watched it to see if it could provide any inspiration to me for my role playing adventures.  It did not.  But, other films in the franchise might.  They cannot be as bad as this was!

Anthony Fauci's Covid hearing

In the UK, we have the UK Covid-19 Inquiry. It has been hearing evidence about the epidemic, and is handled in a much better way than has happened in the USA.

Due to the (understandable) refusal of Anthony Fauci to answer questions, conspiracy theories are going to spread.  I talked to a patient earlier this year who told me that he did not think COVID existed.  He has probably suffered from the vaccination, but while one of his issues has most likely been caused by it, that is not the case with the other matters that he thinks have been caused. 

So, a few quick points.

COVID exists.  It has particular CT appearances in the lungs which other conditions do not have.  

COVID vaccinations saved lives.  States in the USA with lower vaccination rates had higher rates of COVID during the pandemic.  Also in the USA, Republicans (who were more likely to minimise the importance of preventative measures) were more likely to die than Democrats (who were more likely to follow the evidence). 

The UK should have been better prepared.  Exercise Cygnus and Exercise Alice produced recommendations which the Conservatives ignored.  

The chumocracy in the UK resulted in contracts being given to people who failed to deliver PPE.

Death rates were so high from COVID that funeral homes in the UK were overwhelmed, something that also happened in the USA.  

Health care systems were overwhelmed by COVID, not just in Iran, but also in Italy before measures like social distancing and facemasks could be put in place.

Sadly, I doubt the COVID inquiry in the UK will hear the views of Jess Phillips on this. Her take down of Matt Hancock, the health secretary who was in charge of the NHS during the pandemic is as concise as it is passionate. Too many died in the UK who did not need to have.  But, I know that our inquiry will not be partisan like that in the USA as it is there to seek the truth.