tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-153369952008-05-15T22:28:37.749+01:00Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.comBlogger332125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-14673408406051407832008-05-10T19:33:00.003+01:002008-05-10T19:40:16.797+01:00

Well, if this wasn't going to get me blogging again, nothing would.... A very cool trailer, a shame that the episode didn't really live up to its potential. But then again, Dr Who is always more than the sum of it's parts, and this episode has certainly added a new part. I half-guessed the age of the war - the technology for creating troops certainly made such a time-span possible. But I

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-82871474008912545702008-04-13T07:57:00.006+01:002008-04-13T08:03:47.070+01:00

From the Telegraph today: "For years I have been asking why one of the greatest satirists who ever lived - in this country or any other - is consistently ignored by those who ought to be lionising him. I'm talking about Terry Pratchett, who may have the financial rewards commensurate with his talent - but where are the Booker prizes, or the Whitbreads ? Where are the literary accolades? Whenever

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-51977599461370912642008-03-24T08:54:00.004Z2008-03-24T08:58:28.015Z

Just watch this. Pure joy: Hat-Tip : Andrew Sullivan

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-76946734057164534552008-03-23T19:40:00.003Z2008-03-23T19:45:01.849Z

For those who like alternative history, here's a timeline where Archibald Sinclair leads a Liberal Government. It's not a very nice world though: The 10th Duke of Devonshire paced his rooms in a silent fury. How dare the BBC relay this disgusting rubbish out of Germany ?! But ever since the Liberal victory in the aftermath of the economic collapse, the UK had been to Hell in a hand-basket. He

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-32384465154142201322008-03-02T18:16:00.004Z2008-03-02T18:19:46.328Z

.... It's been over a month since I posted anything. Reason? Partly , it's spending too much time at the keyboard doing other things, such as Facebook. But I haven't looked at Facebook for a while now either. Normal Service will resume in a while.

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-92124077882447714632008-01-20T10:40:00.001Z2008-01-20T10:48:43.866Z

"We regret to announce that due to unforeseen circumstances beyond our control, the publication of The Astrological Magazine will cease with the December 2007 issue." Hat Tip: The Volokh Conspiracy

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-49739729332704594292008-01-12T18:54:00.001Z2008-01-12T18:57:36.710Z

For fans of alternative histories: From La Libre Belgique, Friday 23rd October 1964: Du chaos en Outre-Manche The attempts by M. Wilson to form a new and stable government in Britain were given fresh impetus by the demands of his new coalition partner, the Liberal leader M. Grimond. M. Grimond has called for Parliament to vote next Tuesday on Proportional Representation, his condition for

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-80820168350350224622008-01-06T16:36:00.000Z2008-01-06T17:02:44.730Z

Pratchett not included in "Liberal Voice of the Year" poll.

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-26457437523259946822008-01-06T11:39:00.000Z2008-01-06T11:47:55.912Z

It might be carried out on a more even basis: "A Stanford University computer scientist named John Koza has formulated a compelling and pragmatic alternative to the Electoral College. It’s called National Popular Vote (NPV), and has been hailed as “ingenious” by two New York Times editorials. In April, Maryland became the first state to pass it into law. And several other states, including

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-90320124441740150322008-01-01T19:27:00.000Z2008-01-01T19:50:36.208Z

I've found a semi-serious list of 10 things that Christians and atheists can agree on. For example, no 3: 3. In Everyday Life, You're Not That Different You Christians, if the transmission in your Camaro explodes, are you going to use prayer to reconstruct it? No, you'll call a mechanic. When your tooth hurts, you don't assume it's possessed by demons. You look for a cavity. Basic, everyday

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-69488570839534259112008-01-01T19:10:00.000Z2008-01-01T19:07:13.416Z

There have been some very interesting discussions on Lib Dem Voice about how our party should interact with religious organisations and what we think about faith schools in particular. I noticed one comment there (no 53) that official party policy is against faith schools - which is something that isn't often mentioned. This issue isn't going to go away, especially if there is a likelihood of

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-32222514974055247072008-01-01T18:05:00.000Z2008-01-01T18:08:24.436Z

"Uncertainty is the word I would use to describe the mood around Kenya this morning in contrast to fear and anger last night." If you want to read some Kenyan blogs, Global Voices Online is a good place to start.

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-76611154124688983472008-01-01T10:01:00.001Z2008-01-01T13:35:21.929Z

Is it inevitable that my favourite music is still mostly from the 70s and 80s ? I joined Facebook last week and when doing the music quiz on ilike I had to listen to a lot of bands I'd barely heard of before. My favourite is definitely Bowling For Soup. Their '1985' is ironically enough, about someone whose musical tastes, and indeed entire dreams, are still trapped in the 1980s (devotees of

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-41166560962203151772007-12-31T22:19:00.000Z2007-12-31T22:23:44.232Z

I've just been watching a New Year's programme on Russian TV - a music programme. Bearing in mind this is prime time television, it's interesting that they've included Russian versions of two old English pop songs. The Bee Gees "How Deep is Your Love" is OK. But can't they do any better than a Russian version of the Brotherhood of Man's "Save All Your Kisses for Me"? What is the Russian word for

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-29595300414423211912007-12-30T17:05:00.001Z2007-12-30T17:22:44.012Z

So,one chap at the "Straight Dope" website decides to find out the truth about waterboarding - by personal experimentation: "Seriously, I determined to give this a try, see how bad it was: Settle the debate authoritatively. Torture, or not? I figure I would be a good test subject. I am incredibly fit and training for a 100 mile endurance run. The main thing about such an event is ability to

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-4746046029393471682007-12-29T18:59:00.000Z2007-12-29T19:07:25.326Z

My brain moves slowly around Christmas time. So I've only just left a comment on Liberal Democrat Voice about who has been the Liberal voice of 2007. It's the 57th comment there. So just in case you're not going to read that far down, I'm repeating it here: I have another, very serious suggestion - Terry Pratchett. His readership in the UK is huge. Those who have read his books will know that

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-50145070079693246252007-12-27T19:17:00.000Z2007-12-27T19:38:26.266Z

Rest in Peace, Benazir. Tonight I am fearful of what the consequences of this might be for the world... More bloodshed? A new regime in Pakistan? There can be a chilling wind blowing out of Rawalpindi in the winter.... Photo: Getty Images

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-73152437464118777842007-12-26T22:09:00.001Z2007-12-26T22:22:23.436Z

I like the music...one of the few songs that ends with Morse code (!).... I'm not so keen on the video though... This got to no 54 in 1978 in the UK chart! Does anyone other than me remember it?

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-24885009034593649592007-12-26T10:26:00.000Z2007-12-26T12:03:25.728Z

I've sent in my nomination this morning for the "Best Blog by a Woman Lib Dem. I won't say who I've nominated... But I wanted to mention three blogs from outside of the UK that I think are worth reading: I would describe Echidne of the Snakes as a well-written American liberal/feminist blog. It maintains a sense of humour, with , for example, Monty Python's "Hells's Grannies" turning up

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-22232472044195821362007-12-25T20:03:00.000Z2007-12-25T20:14:45.503Z

So where was the SHIPS AGENT in Voyage of the Damned? Is someone trying to do me out of a job?

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-33395379830475051992007-12-20T21:37:00.000Z2007-12-20T22:01:19.000Z

Tory Councillor friend ready to have some fun with me: "Congratulations for choosing a new leader who's more conservative than the Conservative party" Me: "If you really believe that, you'd be joining the Lib Dems now, wouldn't you?" Tory Friend: "Uh..." End of Conversation.

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-4043961081869056262007-12-14T23:18:00.001Z2007-12-14T23:18:49.141Z

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-43052017679339943352007-12-14T21:13:00.000Z2007-12-14T23:20:47.420Z

No political relevance, just some rather special music that I felt like blogging about tonight. The Korgis were an underated band from the 80s. Their first hit "If I Had You" was credited to their frontman James Warren and Rachmaninoff. They could show a certain delicate wit, as in this lyric from their track "O Maxine": "O Maxine, Don't ever leave me Though you make love in a matter-of-fact

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-38939632921282661172007-12-14T19:37:00.000Z2007-12-14T19:44:25.540Z

The Armed Forces Journal is presumably intended for officers of the US military. Non-partisan, it provides some thoughtful writings on military-related matters. For example, in their section on "darts and laurels", it sends a dart at the British government: To the British government For its scandalous decision to drop the corruption probe into the Al Yamamah arms deal with Saudi Arabia.

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15336995.post-60266508181038905952007-12-12T23:25:00.001Z2007-12-12T23:29:47.982Z

Note how small China and India are. Another interesting item from Andrew Sullivan

Chris Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04380208481112766609noreply@blogger.com