The Official Nonsense Thread

[Caspin]

Personally I've never minded paying the TV licence. Compared to some of the drivel put out on the commercial TV channels, the BBC does a reasonable job of producing programmes and providing news coverage etc, all with no irritating adverts. Or at least that's been my view in the past. My relationship with the BBC has changed a little over the last few years, as the quality of the reporting has dipped (or I've just paid more attention, possibly). It's a widespread problem - the "news" is a jumble of celebrity-spotting and hysterical reporting. It's too frequently formed from opinions rather than facts and can be infuriatingly inaccurate/biased/incomplete. BBC Radio 4 is particularly irritating to listen to if you are a scientist. I've submitted a variety of complaints to the BBC in the last few years and the responses have made my blood boil. I foolishly expected better but have had to lower those expectations. It's probably still a hell of a lot better than some of the alternatives though.

I was once trapped in a hotel abroad, attending a conference, and the only news channels in English were US channels (did I tell you this already? - you must shush me if I start repeating myself!). I spent nearly an hour watching some US news channel and apart from briefly reading out a few random headlines, most of it appeared to be some shrieking harpy with massive 1980s-style hair having an argument with some hapless guy they'd brought on to be interviewed about some political matter (if I'm vague on the topic it's because I never did actually grasp the purpose of the interview), followed by almost half an hour of coverage of a visit to a factory that makes jellybeans. The rest was adverts. By the end of that I felt like my brain had turned into soup. So, no offence intended to any other nation whatsoever, but despite its many serious flaws, the BBC does tend to provide something slightly more bearable and I'm willing to pay for that.

Also I really like documentaries, so BBC4 is something I would not really like to do without.

Apparently the recent budget removed funding for BBC Alba and any other Gaelic programming, to show all nations of the UK that the government really does love them all equally as long as they are England. As does this computer, as it keeps correcting to "garlic"!

In other news, I see that Black Friday here is being declared a flop as nobody bothered to go shopping. Hahaha! I can't really imagine physically going shopping on BF and most people just shop online now anyway, don't they? So this is maybe not surprising. Hopefully it means that the number of punch-ups over a discounted telly were greatly reduced from previous years. I'm really glad I hate shopping. Saves me a lot of trouble.

In other news my voice really is lost and I have not been able to do more than whisper for over 24 hours. But I don't think many people have actually noticed.

[simspeaker4]

Garlic? I'd heard that Gaelic was a potent language back in the day. I guess this proves it. Is Gaelic capable of driving vampires away too?
Anyway, thanks for the info on the TV license. If I believed all the PIFs I've seen of late the UK would be lousy with powerful TV detector vans and people ending up embarrassed because they got caught for not paying their TV license.
Speaking of matters TV, I watched a few PIFs (yes, this is what I spend my time on when I'm not playing Sims, reading or watching Let's Players) about the ITC - those are pretty funny as well. A lot funnier than watching the Think! campaigns and the dark stuff that comes from the RSPCA, the NSPCC, and from Greenpeace.
I'm starting to come to the conclusion that I really don't have much of a life.

[Minty]

"Are there many of you French fellas in Chapham?"

This PIF is semi-legendary as back in the 70s when it was made few British people could speak any second language, so the idea of some ordinary Joe Bloggs in a delivery yard possessing such an excellent working knowledge of French (which could have earned him a far higher paid & less humble mode of employment) was as much part of the joke as the punchline.

Yes, that is a very young Warren Clarke you can see as well as of course Ian McShane driving the truck. The smart alec yard man was Graham Stark, Peter Sellers' toadie, of whom a lot of disturbing stories came out after his death.

If you like PIFs, you'll love the ones from Scarfolk Council.

[simspeaker4]

People wait until a dude's passed on before they start flinging the mud around. Sometimes that's a real shame (Jimmy Savile and all that).
Also, I think sometimes that the classic PIFs are a lot better than today's stuff. Of course, when getting serious about stuff folks in the UK do it much better than this sterling bit from the True North.

[Minty]

Went to the doctor today. After telling him of symptoms, his exact words were "Well, what do you want me to do about it?"

It took me pointing out that HE was the doctor & hence why I was going to him instead of trying to diagnose myself off the internet. It seems he's been too used to getting gobby with patients & getting away with it, as there was a severe case of petted lip about my reply.

To cut the rest of a very long story short, he said "nothing to do with me, live with it". I was that angry I came close to hitting him, but instead I marched out, registered with another surgery, & for good measure fired off a complaint to the local health board that afternoon.

[Caspin]

You appear to be cursed with GPs who are lacking in soft skills, Minty. I hope the new one is more satisfactory and that you feel better. Try not to punch anybody.

I have been battling a chest infection for a couple of weeks now, but finally seem to have triumphed. Not sure how much of my lungs remain, as I feel like I have destroyed at least half by coughing. So glad it's over as I am somewhat exhausted.

Busy week coming up. For some reason I appear to have stuffed my diary full of things, which would be fine except why are they all in one week? I should space things out a bit. Never mind. Work is ridiculously busy and the ill health of others means that more will land on my plate, while enforced Christmas-related activities will reduce the time in which I could actually tackle the workload. It's madness. I can only hope that things improve in the new year.

Right, I must eat.

[Caspin]

Looks like my busy week has become slightly less busy thanks to Littlefinger. (Yes, really!) I was supposed to go tomorrow night to see Aidan Gillen read some James Jiyce by candlelight, as you do, but it has been cancelled at short notice due to his "unavoidable filming commitments". He should give me control of his diary so that these errors can be avoided! Oh well, you win some you lose some. It gives me one precious evening in my armchair so I won't complain.

Is everyone (I probably mean "anyone" don't I) ready for this Christmas malarkey that has come round AGAIN. ALREADY! I swear we only just did the last one.

[Minty]

(14-12-2015 11:34 PM)Caspin Wrote:  Looks like my busy week has become slightly less busy thanks to Littlefinger. (Yes, really!) I was supposed to go tomorrow night to see Aidan Gillen read some James Jiyce by candlelight, as you do, but it has been cancelled at short notice due to his "unavoidable filming commitments". He should give me control of his diary so that these errors can be avoided! Oh well, you win some you lose some. It gives me one precious evening in my armchair so I won't complain.

What a git! Don't suppose he thought for a moment some may have made special arrangements (costing money) to travel to see him reading? Crappy way to treat any of his fans. "Unavoidable filming commitments" my bum, sounds like Mr Moustachioed Sausage is getting too big for his boots.

(14-12-2015 11:34 PM)Caspin Wrote:  Is everyone (I probably mean "anyone" don't I) ready for this Christmas malarkey that has come round AGAIN. ALREADY! I swear we only just did the last one.

All the presents bought & wrapped. Feel free to call me Mr Smug bar steward.

[Caspin]

(15-12-2015 08:21 PM)Minty Wrote:  All the presents bought & wrapped. Feel free to call me Mr Smug bar steward.

You Smug Bar.....! No wait, you'd surely have to do something slightly more offensive than buying gifts for your family to warrant being sworn at. Instead I will say "well done" for getting ahead of the curve. Are you any good at wrapping? If so, please feel free to do mine! With twirly ribbons and so on, please. Ta.

Mine are bought as well and half are wrapped, so I think I'm doing OK. I just can't feel festive these days and really just want the week off work. One day in The Future I think it would be lovely to go away for Christmas, rent a little cottage somewhere and just watch films and read books without being obliged to deal with all the waste and tacky tinsel and expectation.

I don't know about Mr Sausage's boots. Perhaps you are right and he's got too big for them. Having said that, he only cancelled Tuesday's performance - the one on Monday went ahead - so I do hope that anyone travelling from outside London managed to go to that one instead. Otherwise that would really be a disappointment, especially as most train tickets are non-refundable these days. At least I'm not out of pocket.

Hopefully I will have more success with the remainder of this week's activities, which will include a trip at the weekend to see the new Star Wars film. Very exciting!

*waves lightsaber enthusiastically around living room*

[Minty]

Go on Caspin, put us out of our misery, tell us all what the new Star Wars film is like!