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.  

Voicemails for Isabelle

Voicemails for Isabelle is a surprisingly good film. We finished watching it today.  We had started watching it after our return from Portugal. All four of us have been watching it together but have not watched it in one go. While it is not the ideal way to watch it, it worked for us.

Today was a bit stressful as we had a clear the air discussion with the children. The relationship between the two has not been as ideal as we would like. It is not as bad as it has been at times, but they were very mature about it and afterwards we all chilled by watching the film.

Like many Rom-Com’s it has a predictable plot, though the start is different to most. The acting is good, the film flows well and it has a charming character as the lead. In addition it has an enjoyable soundtrack. Not as good as other films, but it features Taylor Swift, an artist the family all love.  I am glad I watched it, and while I would not go out of my way to watch it again, I would not channel hop past it.

Lucy Connolly, Zack Polanski and hurty words

Double standards and Reform UK Ltd are something that happens quite often.  Lucy Connolly was (rightly) arrested and admitted her guilt about a tweet inciting racial hatred during the Farage riots of 2024. Nigel Farage has stated that Lucy Connolly is "living proof of what can go wrong" with free speech restrictions.  Despite this, Nigel Farage said about a repost by Zack Polanski "If I was to post anything as inciteful then I would expect to be arrested, and so should Polanski." Polanski, rightly, has taken down the post. Those in Reform UK Ltd should call for the same action to be taken against the leader of The Green Party that they took when one of their elected representatives reposted a message about shooting a Labour MP. From what I recall, an apology was enough then and should be enough now.  If anything, less action is needed, the T-shirt (which was on the 18th of 20 images) being a song lyric as opposed to the message about actually shooting a politician.

I abhor violence against ALL politicians.  While I did find the egging of Nick Griffin (then leader of the racist BNP) to be funny, it was wrong. That includes the milkshake episode with Farage.  I found it funny, but still was wrong to happen.  

I have commented on Reform UK Ltd and their attitudes to free speech before. I suspect it will happen again when they, again, show double standards. 

Back from Bristol

We are back from Bristol.  We went yesterday afternoon but left our son behind in Colchester.  We had aimed to get to Bristol for the afternoon, but delays and traffic meant that we did not get there until much later. We had returned to the Avon Gorge hotel, but took my daughter there. Neither of the children have stayed there before so it was a first for her.  The dog loves it there as she is pampered.  While we are not able to enter all areas with her, they serve food in areas where we can eat with her.  And it was a great meal.

Come Saturday, we went to the house our daughter is to stay in.  We were to move her things in from the back of the car but the exhausting thing was the inventory.  We had planned to go to a food and drink festival, but were too tired so ate at The Blaze, where we have eaten before, and then returned back to the house to unpack and then the drive back here.  Am shattered and am to enjoy a much needed rest.  A strange thing is that my mind is convinced that today is Sunday, which means that my subconscious will get a three day weekend!