It’s official: both the Prime Minister — Boris Johnson — and the Chancellor of the Exchequer — Rishi Sunak — have been fined: for attending parties during the COVID 19 lockdown.
They’ve paid the fines, and apologised to anyone who’ll believe them: but rejected calls for their resignations.
Somehow? I’m not surprised.
Personally? You and me breaking the rules — and paying a fine — is one thing.
But for people holding the highest offices in the country* … ?
I don’t know if they should.
But don’t think their apologies are good enough.
~≈Ç≈~
Did I mention my nephew, Jude, was here, yesterday?
My nephew, Jude, was here, yesterday.
And you can find out what he looks like in his most recent videos …
That’s him on the left, at the start of the first video …
Which will possibly go well … assuming my clean shirts still fit!
~≈👔≈~
14th April, 2021.
JUST so you know … ? The shirt fit: although I don’t know if the interview went well …
Let’s just say — for now — there’s mismatching start dates.
At any rate … ?
Let me tell you about last night’s TV show …
~≈🚀≈~
Episode 2 — The Bleeding Edge — opens in the immediate aftermath of episode one: and shows us Molly Cobb (Sonya Walger) being checked over by Jamestown’s medics, and being debriefed by station commander, Ellen Wilson (Jodi Balfour).
And lying: about exactly how much radiation she took in the storm.
Ellen … ? Wants to make sure, though: moving her return to Earth a day forward, and taking Molly — and Wubbo, the crewman Molly rescued — home with her.
Back on Earth … ?
Back on Earth, the Cold War is warming up.
With Ellen turning in a final report from the Moon, to a concerned Margo, Ed and General Bradford (Wrenn Schmidt, Joel Kinnaman, John Marshall Jones.)
Ellen makes no secret of her ambition to see her bosses launch a Mars mission: nor of Jamestown’s need for more plutonium.
Margo’s got problems of her own: with her boss, Thomas Paine (Dan Donohue), wanting to have a big happy handshake in space … and potentially handing the Soviet Union a lot more technology than she’s capable of handing over.
Just General Bradford is reluctant to hand her plutonium.
Later, at the Outpost?
We see Ed meeting with Gordo, and Danielle (Michael Dorman and Krys Marshall.)
Danielle … ? After the death of her husband, Danielle has realised there’s nothing holding her back.
She wants to go back to Jamestown.
Ed’s happy …
Gordo … ?
Has a crisis …
~≈🚀≈~
What did I make of this episode?
I have to say, For All Mankind is …
Something I’m always impressed by is world-building.
World-building: the ability of fiction to build not just convincing characters, but a convincing setting.
It’s got to be said: lockdown has eased … slightly …
Or, at least, slightly enough for me to visit a barbers.
A new place in Brentwood High Street.
I’m not totally stunned with my trim: although, to be fair, it was comparatively cheap.
At least for around here!
~≈💈≈~
Oh … I’ve got the new external drive set up: it’s being backed up to as we speak.
And yes: it’s going to take another five hours, as I’m using it to back up both my main drive: and my external storage drive.
It’s going to take that long, as it’s a few thousand gigabytes …
~≈📀≈~
Drat … !
I forgot something.
I’ve managed to pick up two copies — one for keeps, one to play — of Rhianna Pratchett’s Crystal of Storms: one in a series of the revived Fighting Fantasy gamebooks.
I played some of the originals, back in the day. So, given one of the game industry’s finest has done one? Given whose daughter she is?
There’s also a certain amount of sadness, as well.
As yesterday saw the death of comedian, Goody, and I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue panellist, Tim Brooke-Taylor.
The world’s a smaller place.
~≈†≈~
How are you with mis-selling?
A couple of weeks ago, I was looking for a gift for a friend.
And managed to buy three of these USB flash memory drives: from a third party Ebay seller called Fashionjiacl.
Supposedly, the things had a capacity of some two terabytes, 2000 gigabytes: roughly two thousand hours of video, depending on the format and resolution.
At the advertised price, two terabytes is a godsend: especially if you are unemployed, and don’t have much money to spend.
I ordered three: which took a while to get to me.
When they did?
I immediately start copying my Dr Who collection over to one of them.
My computer told me that would take some twenty-four hours, given the amount of data.
The data didn’t copy.
The stick — which was showing up both mo my Mac, and my Ubuntu MATE laptop, as a two terabyte drive — wouldn’t hold more than approximately thirty-two (32) gigabytes.
So … ?
I complained to the sellers: who — initially — only offered a thirty percent refund: roughly the price of one of the sticks I’d bought.
I told them this wasn’t good enough.
They then offered a thirteen pound refund.
I refused, again.
And told Fashionjiacl that, unless I got a full refund, I’d be reporting them to Watchdog, and writing a blog post about it, and reporting them to Ebay, itself.
Something I’m still thinking of doing.
They refunded the money: which arrived in my bank account, yesterday.
I’m happy with that.
But?
I’m left with a bad taste in my mouth.
For a start?
Fashionjiacl is STILL offering hooky USB sticks on Ebay.
They HAVE added a footnote to say the devices are not the advertised two terabytes, but nearer thirty-two gigabytes: at the bottom of the page, in the proverbial last place we would look.
Something they weren’t doing when I bought them.
I’m assuming the things would still show up as two terabytes in any computer they’re connected to: so any one buying them would have no way of accurately know what the things could hold, or are holding.
I will give Fashionjiacl credit for refunding my money.
But … ?
I believe they are guilty of mis-selling.
And, given that this sort of thing seems to be common? It’s something I thought I should warn you about.
Which is always something that’s mildly tickled me.
The sheer reach of Nik Nak’s Old Peculiar means I’m getting read by people across the planet.
By people across different time zones.
So … ?
Well … it’s tickled me.
But it does mean saying ‘Hello,’ in a video, rather interesting.
~≈§≈~
By the way, have you been keeping an eye on the news?
You’ll be aware — if you have — that there’s increasing demands for action against President Assad’s forces: in reply to his apparently use of chemical weapons against civilians.
Personally?
I really don’t care for the idea of the UK joining any such action.
There’s possibly lots of arguments for doing so.
Assad’s a nasty piece of work: and the war is harming civilians.
Wars ALWAYS harm and kill civilians.
But I personally feel there’s arguments against: even if they’re rather simplistic ones.
One … ? Is simple precedent.
We did nothing after Saddam Hussain’s regime used chemical weaponry agains the small town of Halabja.
Even when the Western Allies invaded Iraq — in the First Gulf War — they went in being able to show the Ba’athist regime had invaded Kuwait.
Even the Second Gulf War — where the evidence of the regime’s ownership of weapons of mass destruction was extremely shakey — Tony Blair at least tried to persuade the Bush Administration that getting UN approval would be good publicity.
The situation in Syria, now? And the West’s response to it?
I see there’s on-going investigations of President Trump’s election campaign: whether there was Russian involvement with the President’s campaign, or had Russian help.
I believe the West’s response to the situation in Syria has more to do with President Trump’s political problems at home, than it does with any defence of innocent civilians.
That it is spin, in other words. It’s the Trump regime’s attempt to look tough on Russia.
That is NOT a good reason for military action, or for Britain’s involvement*.
So, of course, I’m up early: to try and squeeze out both today’s Teaser, and this week’s Weekly Teaser for the Gazette.
And, wouldn’t you know it … ?
I couldn’t sleep a wink, last night!
Isn’t that ALWAYS the way … ?
~≈Ÿ≈~
On the upside?
On the upside, this morning I’ve noticed — whilst uploading today’s Teaser video to YouTube — that there’s a new Penny Dreadful trailer up and running.
Personally?
I’m looking forward to it airing on 3rd May: the series is turning into something of a favourite.
