Right here and Now

You know, this post is probably going to get me in trouble.

But what the heck.

I’ll be honest, I work in one of the local branches of a nationally known chain of off-licences that’s in serious trouble.

Deeply serious trouble.

And our branch has had the bad news, today, that our branch is one of the one that will be closing down.

Which is gutting … !

Understandably.

What gets me is the simple fact that — from what I, as an employee, have managed to understand — is that the company I work for knew about the likelihood of this happening, in July of last year: a few months after they hired me.

As you can possibly appreciate …

What makes it kind of worse, in these recession hit times, is the simple fact that, while they had a flashy website that told you all about themselves, their products, and where their stores were, it had no — NO — online store.

When you consider that the small Ma and Pa independent greengrocers/off-license up the hill from us, along with iTunes, Sainsburys, Tescos, Morrison, Asda, John Lewis, Majestic, Bargain Booze et al, has an online store, my employers seriously missed the boat.

Combined with missing that trick, they had some serious competition from the likes of the various nation supermarket chains, who were able to heavily out-do us, in terms of price.

And, as a result, went under.

And put me, the rest of my co-workers, and most of the branches in the area, will be made redundant.

For those of us who’ve been with the company less than two years can claim no redundancy, under the terms of the contracts.

Those who’ve been there longer?

Look like’s they’ve got a fight to claim whatever is available.

My only conclusion, being in at the coalface?

Is that this has been a huge great cock-up of monstrous proportions.

From start to finish.

ReBlogging From ComBom!

I found this fascinating quote today:

Lady Ga Ga wore an alien-style, flesh-toned bodysuit with a flashing white, domed helmet, at the American Music Awards at the weekend - and then proceeded to smash her way into a glass booth where she played a flaming piano surrounded by violinists in Ood-look gas-masks!Combom, Life, Doctor Who & Combom: Is Lady Ga Ga Turning Into An Ood? Doctor Who, Nov 2009

You should read the whole article.

The Daily Teaser, and the Friday Question set …

Woooah!

I hate getting up late!

So I’ll apologise, now, if that means the Teaser a little later than usual; but sometimes, I always think some of my more interesting posts get done at Stupid o’clock …

At any rate, we had Tim, Andrea and Trevor all got 5 out of 5, yesterday, with Trevor getting the Official Clap!

I’m just a little disappointed nobody mentioned Vlad 3rd’s other nickname …

At any rate, here’s today’s questions, along with the ‘How To’ and License …

Q1) 27^th November, 1095, saw the which Pope declare the First Crusade?

Q2) 27^th November, 1975, saw Ross McWhirter shot by the Provisional IRA; which book did he and his brother, Norris, co-found?

Q3) 27^th November, 1897, saw the birth of which notorious Don?

Q4) In a similar vein, today in 1934 saw the death — as a result of a shot-out with the FBI — of who?

Q5) Today in 1990 saw the Conservative Party pick who as both Party leader and Prime Minister?

Q6) And finally; 27^th November, 1852, saw the death of which mathematician and programmer? (Trevor should know this one … )

And here’s yesterday’s questions and answers …

Q1) 26^th November, 43 BC, saw the formation of the Second Triumvirate. Octavian Cæsar — later better known as Augustus Cæsar — formed this alliance with two other people; name either of them!

A1) Marcus Antonius — aka Marc Anthony — and Marcus Aemilius Lepidus.

Q2) 26^th November saw who become ruler of Wallachia, after defeating — in Alliance with Stephen the Great and Stephen 5^th Bathory — Basarab Laiotă cel Bătrân?

A2) Vlad 3^rd. Also known as Vlad Ţepeş … Or Dracula! (Seems his father was known as Dracul or ‘The Dragon’: which earned young Vlad the name ‘Dracula’, or ‘Son of the Dragon’)

Q3) Today, in 1965, saw which European country become the third country to launch a satellite?

A3) France. (The satellite was called the Asterix 1.)

Q4) 26^th November, 1983, saw Britain’s largest robbery, at the Brinks Mat Warehouse; in which airport was the warehouse?

A4) Heathrow.

Q5) And finally; 26^th November, 1992, saw the British government announce that who would start paying tax, from the following year?

A5) The Queen.

And here, as it’s Friday, is the 60 Question Set, for struggling Quizmasters, also covered by the License …

Extracted from Hutton 83

Online 32

Round One. General Knowledge.

Q1) Complete the following quote from Hamlet; -“Alas, poor Yorick….”

A1) “…I knew him, Horatio.”*

Q2) Gunmetal is what colour?

A2) Grey.

Q3) What is a Papal Nuncio?

A3) An ambassador from the Pope.

Q4) Who was the youngest ever winner of the Nobel Prize for Peace?

A4) Dr Martin Luther King.

Q5) Who invented the miniskirt, Mary Quant, Zandra Rhodes or Vivienne Westwood?

A5) Mary Quant.

Q6) According to some reports, Saddam Hussein was fond of which Mexican snack food?

A6) Nachos.

Q7) What’s the title of the Welsh national anthem?

A7) Land of My Fathers.

Q8) What was the English title of the TV show the French called Jeux Sans Frontieres?

A8) It’s A Knockout.

Q9) Alphabetically, who was the first of the Apostles?

A9) Saint Andrew.

Q10) Terry Downes is associated with which sport?

A10) Boxing.

Round Two. Music.

Q11) Who narrated Jeff Wayne’s hit album, War of the Worlds?

A11) Richard Burton.

Q12) What was the name of Sheryl Crow’s debut LP?

A12) Tuesday Night Music Club.

Q13) The Wurzels recorded their 1st album with whom?

A13) Adge Cutler.

Q14) Which album cover featured David Bowie, wearing boxing gloves?

A14) Let’s Dance.

Q15) Pearl was the posthumous LP released by which 1960s singer?

A15) Janis Joplin.

Q16) What was the Beach Boys first UK Number One?

A16) Good Vibrations.

Q17) Elvis had a hit with Viva Las Vegas. Which rock band also had a hit with it?

A17) ZZ Top.

Q18) What was the first hit for The Undertones?

A18) Teenage Kicks. (John Peel’s favourite record.)

Q19) Which band had a UK hit with I Surrender in 1981?

A19) Rainbow.

Q20) Singer/songwriter, David Gates led which group?

A20) Bread.

Round Three. Cops and Robbers.

Q21) Who was Regan’s boss, in The Sweeney?

A21) Chief Inspector Haskins.

Q22) Who was TV’s most famous Dutch detective?

A22) Van Der Valk.

Q23) Which detective lived at Whitehaven Mansions?

A23) Hercule Poirot.

Q24) Which TV detective is based in Shrewsbury?

A24) Cadfael.

Q25) How was 60’s secret agent John Drake better known?

A25) Danger Man.

Q26) Who had a secretary called Miss Lemon?

A26) Hercule Poirot.

Q27) In which fictional Scottish town was Hamish MacBeth, set?

A27) Lochdubh.

Q28) Jeremy Brett portrayed which TV detective?

A28) Sherlock Holmes.

Q29) Inspector Morse’s Jaguar is what colour?

A29) Red.

Q30) Who played TV detective, Remington Steele?

A30) Pierce Brosnan.

Round Four. Science & Nature.

Q31) Who was the 1st Briton in space?

A31) Helen Sharman.

Q32) What name is given to the few particles that can escape from a black hole?

A32) Hawking radiation.

Q33) Who proved Fermat’s Last Theorem?

A33) Dr Andrew Wiles.

Q34) Which comet visits Earth every 76 years?

A34) Halley’s Comet.

Q35) What’s the 7th planet from the sun?

A35) Uranus.

Q36) What’s the only other member of the Giraffe family, other than the Giraffe?

A36) The Okapi.

Q37) The Duck Billed Platypus is native to Australia, and wear else?

A37) Tasmania.

Q38) What’s the other name for the Russian Wolfhound?

A38) The Borzoi.

Q39) What is another name for a Toadstool’s pileus?

A39) Its cap.

Q40) Camellia Sinensis is more commonly called what?

A40) Tea.

Round Five. Books and Novels.

Q41) Which comedian co-wrote Families, and How to Survive Them?

A41) John Cleese.

Q42) Who wrote Sex, at the same time as releasing an LP called Erotica?

A42) Madonna.

Q43) Science fiction writer Isaac Asimov had a degree in which science?

A43) Biochemistry. (Give half a point for just chemistry.)

Q44) Which science-fiction writer first proposed geo-stationary orbits?

A44) Arthur C. Clarke.

Q45) Hansard is the daily report of the activities of who; the House of Commons, the Bank of England or Lloyds of London?

A45) The House of Commons.

Q46) Which TV cook also wrote romance novels?

A46) Fanny Craddock.

Q47) What’s the US equivalent to the Oxford English Dictionary?

A47) Webster’s.

Q48) The founder of Wisden’s Cricket Almanac played for which English county?

A48) Sussex.

Q49) Which book sold out, within 3 months of being reprinted, in 1996?

A49) The Highway Code.

Q50) Who published romance novels as Mary Westmacott?

A50) Agatha Christie.

Round Six. General Knowledge.

Q51) In the Bible, who was King David’s father?

A51) Jesse.

Q52) Who’s oldest, Zoe Ball, or Gary Barlow?

A52) Zoe Ball.

Q53) A mixture of Quinine, and mineral water is called what?

A53) Tonic water. (It’s also known as Indian Tonic Water, as it was originally made — like Indian Pale Ale — for troops stationed in India.)

Q54) What river was Jesus Christ baptised in?

A54) The River Jordan.

Q55) Whisky is usually made in what kind of building?

A55) A distillery.

Q56) According to the proverb, a bad workman always blames his … what?

A56) Tools.

Q57) Which musical instrument is the national emblem of Ireland?

A57) The harp.

Q58) The Spanish city of Seville is famed for which fruit?

A58) Oranges.

Q59) The State Opening of Parliament is usually held in which month?

A59) November.

Q60) How many wings does a Butterfly have?

A60) Four.

Enjoy those, everyone. I’ll catch you later.

* “I knew his moods, his humours; oftimes, as an infant, he did dawdle me upon his knee.” Very suspicious behaviour, knee-dawdling!

Who’d Have ’Em … ?

OK, I’ll admit it, it’s weird what your imagination can do, given tiredness, lack of food, and way too much time on your hands.

Oh, and a power cut …

We just had a power cut …

Not much of a power cut, but it was something that got my imagination going in all sorts of places.

I think you’ve already gathered that, haven’t you … ?

But for some reason, it got me to thinking of something of a classic novel, that I’d first read, many years ago.

The John Wyndham novel,The Midwich Cuckoos

It’s the one book of his that — much like the original version of The Wicker Man — pretty much always leaves me …

Well …

Spooked is the best word for it, I think.

Yeah, spooked …

And there’s not many novels or films that do that, I think …

I’ll try and summarise, if I can, although I’ll admit, I’m no literary critic.

The Midwich Cuckoos is set in 1950’s England, in the fictional (smallish) village of Midwich, in the equally fictional county of Winshire, and sees the pieces narrator, Richard, returning to his home in Midwich, with his wife, after a day out in London.

To find the whole village is — apparently — asleep.

And that the army — including an old army friend of Richard’s, who’s now ‘… something important in Intelligence’ — are doing as much frantic research as they can.

About all they’ve found out for sure, is that the zone of effect stretches out in a two mile radius from the village green; which they checked using a couple of budgies in cages, and explains the crashed buses on the roads in and out of Midwich.

Richard and his wife are … concerned …

Understandably …

But, as the weird effect — that eventually becomes known as the ‘Dayout’ — seems to have no ill effects, Richard and his wife aren’t worried.

Not initially, anyway.

Notice I said the Dayout seems to have no ill-effects?

I think that all depends on what you define as ill, doesn’t it?

As some one I know once said, “I’m pregnant, not crippled” …

Pregnancies get noticed; especially, as in this book, it’s every woman of child-bearing age in the village …

Which gets everyone in Midwich thinking that the two events HAVE to be connected, somehow …

•••••

It gets stranger, when the children are born …

They’re odd …

Very odd … !

The thirty odd girls and thirty odd boys all look as if they’re related more to each other, than their parents.

And have odd golden coloured eyes.

Which is only the start.

From an early age, the Children seem to be developing at a very fast rate. Not only that, each group — boys and girls — seems to be both very intelligent and have some form of group mind, enabling them to learn much more rapidly than normal children.

That’s where the narrator leaves it, as he and his wife move to to Canada — I seem to recall — after his new job takes him there …

They come back for a flying visit, some eight years later, to find that the Children, whilst chronologically only eight, have matured into apparent 16-year-olds.

And that things are coming to something of a boiling point …

•••••

Now, I don’t know if that’s grabbed your attention … ?

But it did, me, when I read it, all those year’s ago.

Now, granted, this was written back in the 1950s; which does show …

But the central ideas in The Midwich Cuckoos — that an alien invasion isn’t necessarily going to be a big War Of The Worlds affair, and that an alien invasion spearheaded by out children aren’t going to be easy to deal with — are still, after all this time, I think, very interesting.

Which means I’m going to read myself to sleep with this, tonight …

After I’ve finished listening to the Kronos Quartet’s version of Purple Haze.

And finally debugged a bit of HTML … !