Miscellaneous Dr. Eamonn Butler Miscellaneous Dr. Eamonn Butler

On the second day of Christmas...

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My true love sent to me: two turtle doves. In the original it seems that the turtle doves represent the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.

Pigeon fanciers were outraged after HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) left pigeon racing out of the official list of sports. They asked the Queen, who is patron of the Royal Pigeon Racing Association (RPRA), to get this ruling reversed, and organized an e-petition to Downing Street. Why so many ruffled feathers about something apparently so trivial?

Well, it's all about money. Premises used for 'sports' are exempt from the rates, a local-authority tax. Under MHRC proposals to introduce rates on sports clubs and village halls, groups can formally apply for dispensation from HMRC for 80% relief and then to their local authority for a 20% reduction. So pigeon fanciers faced paying rates on their sheds, though officially recognized sports such as yoga, arm-wrestling and trampolining are still exempt.

The government told the e-petitioning pigeon fanciers that decisions on which activities count as ‘sports’ were made by agreement of the sports councils, and it would be inappropriate for the government to intervene. Doesn't it all speak volumes about just how silly and bird-brained all these tax rules are?

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Film of the Year No. 6

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6. In Bruges

In a nutshell: Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson play a pair of hit-men, sent to lie low in Bruges by their gangster boss, Ralph Fiennes, after a job goes horribly wrong. Gleeson enjoys the sightseeing, Farrell gets involved with a girl, the pair hang out with an unpleasant midget – and then Fiennes arrives in town, triggering the film’s climactic showdown.

Assuming you take your humour pitch-black, In Bruges is hilarious. It is also thoughtful, moving (on occasion) and (once things get going) exciting to boot. Some people won’t like it, and a few may even be offended. With a peculiar plot, no real hero, and lashings of foul language, In Bruges is clearly catering to a particular audience. But if – like Cinesmith – you like that sort of thing, you’re sure to enjoy In Bruges. It is without doubt the best black comedy of the year.

Watch the trailer here

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A seasonal tale

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Every few years, sometimes seven, sometimes nine, the dark wind would blow through the forest causing all work to stop.  The people cursed the wind, but there was nothing they could do.  Then one day Greeno showed young Gordo a barrel in the cellar; it was full of golden dust.  The two boys decided they would face the fury of the dark wind when next it came, and hurl handfuls of the golden dust into its path.

Bravely the two boys stood their ground as the wind shrieked towards them.  They threw handfuls of dust in front of it, and watched as the evil wind snarled, withered, and dissipated into the forest.  People hailed the boys as heroes, but when the dark wind blew again a few years later, it was more powerful.  The boys again stood firm, and though it took more dust, once again the wind was dispersed.

The third time it came it took all their courage to withstand it as it raged against them.  Gordo asked Greeno why the dust was less effective, and was told that with so much of it now scattered through the forest, it had lost much of its value.  The boys managed to disperse the dark wind, though, and work continued in the forest.  Praises were heaped upon them, and Gordo even had "slayer of the dark wind" burned onto his belt.

When the wind came the next time, nothing could withstand it.  It was as if each victory over it had only added to its strength next time.  Greeno and Gordo shrugged helplessly as it laughed at the meagre handful of dust thrown at it, contemptuously tossing it aside.  The dark wind raged unchecked through the forest, stripping down leaves and trees, and all work stopped.  Greeno and Gordo were cast out amid lamentation, and the dark wind ruled.

Meanwhile, deeper into the forest, a young Austrian boy had an idea…

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Blog Review 820

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Netsmith is browsing and sluicing with the best of you today, as Netsmith hopes that you are. So nothing too serious to draw your attention to today.

Just a little appropriate piece of cynicism with which to view the political process.

The truth about the UK economy finally revealed.

Bravo and thrice Bravo! to some of our Australian friends.

No bravos for Chryselr, if this is the first sign of how they spend the bailout money.

The origin of the phrase "Yes, Virginia, there really is a Santa Claus".

An alternative reading of the way to celebrate the day.

And finally, Netsmith has it on good authority that today is all about a Jewish lad made good, so why not Jewish jokes (the ones by, not about, that is, the ones that are actually funny) for the day.

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Miscellaneous Dr. Eamonn Butler Miscellaneous Dr. Eamonn Butler

On the first day of Christmas...

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My true love sent to me: a partridge in a pear tree. In the original song it seems that 'my true love' is God, that the partridge symbolizes Christ, and the pear tree represents the Cross. Well, maybe.

But in Britain, until last year, if you wanted to deal in game - not just partridges but pheasants, hares, grouse, moor game, woodcock, deer, or rabbits, you needed a licence from the local authority under section 18 of the 1831 Game Act (plus an excise licence from the Post Office under section 14 of the 1860 Game Licences Act). The 1831 legislation laid down strict rules on when game could be sold - an attempt to ensure that breeding cycles were not disrupted. In other words, the law has only just caught up with refrigeration.

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Blog Review 819

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To cheer us in this festive season, good reasons for tax havens part one and good reasons for tax havens part two. Enough to warm the cockles of any capitalist's heart.

In praise of entrepreneurs and the development they bring. After all, someone has to make the experiments to see what works.

Economics can tell us many things....like why separating twins in school is a bad idea.

Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings...bio-ethanol is a really stupid idea. Pudding proof that the average politician has less understanding than an intelligent 13 year old.

On the intelligence of politicians: certain fridges display more (although, to be truthful, Netsmith has met the fridge in question and would agree, it is a special one).

Being a great entrepreneur really is not the same as being a great investor.

And finally, Tony Blair's long term plan revealed.

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Film of the Year No. 7

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7. No Country for Old Men

This film from Joel and Ethan Coen, the brothers behind cult classics like Fargo and The Big Lebowski, is probably their best yet. Based on the book by Cormac McCarthy, No Country for Old Men is a modern-day western that's every bit as terse and dark as that genre's greatest hits, and yet still manages to exude the wit and humour that the Coens are famous for.

The story is a simple one. Llewellyn Moss is out hunting in the desert when he comes across a macabre scene: abandoned cars, dead bodies, and a briefcase full of money – the hallmarks of a drug deal gone horribly wrong. Taking the cash and going on the run, Moss is relentlessly pursued by a seemingly unstoppable assassin (Javier Bardem, in an Academy Award-winning role), with the county's laconic sheriff (Tommy Lee Jones) following a few steps further behind.

No Country for Old Men is a suspenseful and truly exhilarating film, let down only by a rather flat finale. While it may be true to the spirit of the source material, it doesn't really work on film. That's a shame: if No Country for Old Men had gone out with a bang rather than a whimper, it could have been my film of the year. That said, it still won Best Picture at the Oscars. Watch the trailer here.

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Blog Review 818

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Just why housing benefit costs us all so much money. It's quite mindboggling how the government conspires to make its own procurement more expensive.

For those amused by Richard Murphy. It would appear that he's unaware of what an audit is for.

So what that they're spending more money on diagnosing dementia? It's still a social problem, not a medical one.

For those of you who saw the "how to be a lefty writer about Africa" article, here's the author explaining what it all means.

It would appear that at least part of the BBC could be described as the public relations arm of Greenpeace.

Bailing out the car companies. Would thing be different if, instead of each car manufacturing job supporting 5 others, it was actually 0.3 others?

And finally, there are two El Gordo's in Europe and only one of them is worthwhile at a 6% break even chance.

 

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Film of the Year No. 8

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8. There Will Be Blood

There Will Be Blood is probably the most acclaimed film of 2008, and it's not hard to see why. From a technical perspective, this is filmmaking at its very best. Everything from the cinematography to the soundtrack is absolutely top-notch, and Daniel Day-Lewis' Oscar-winning central performance is everything it's cracked up to be – intense, compelling and, occasionally terrifying.

Loosely based on the novel OIL! by Upton Sinclair, the story follows the rise of Daniel Plainview, a ruthless oil-prospector driven as much by his hatred for others as his seemingly boundless greed. The details of the plot are not so important as its themes: ultimately, There Will Be Blood is about the corruption of the human soul. From its stark opening to its extraordinary conclusion, this is a powerful piece of cinema.

Yet There Will Be Blood is a flawed masterpiece. For all its technical brilliance, the film too often feels artificial, even theatrical. Its characters are unreal, their motivations hard to fathom or accept. They are ciphers rather than people. That's why There Will Be Blood is merely a very good film, rather than a great one. See the trailer here.

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